A 27-year-old man was arrested Monday morning, Dec. 1, after police say he shot and killed his wife and her coworker outside a Little Caesars at Rural and Guadalupe roads, then stayed at the scene as officers arrived. The victims were identified as Mary Visser, 21, and Shaquille Simmons, 32.
Investigators say the attack unfolded just after 9 a.m. before the pizza shop opened, capping a weekend of confrontations that included accusations and an after-hours disturbance the night before. The suspect, identified in court records as Benjaman Andrew “Benjamin” Visser Jr., faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and is being held on a $2 million cash-only bond. Police and court paperwork describe a jealous dispute that boiled over at the East Valley strip mall, with surveillance video capturing the sequence as employees arrived for work and neighboring businesses prepared to open.
According to police, the confrontation began outside the storefront and moved across the parking lot. Surveillance footage reviewed by detectives shows Simmons near the entrance as Visser approaches and fires, striking him in front of the door. Moments later, the video shows Mary Visser in the roadway of the lot; the shooter turns and fires again. Investigators say Simmons staggers up and runs along the sidewalk as additional shots follow. The gunman paces for several seconds, then walks back to where Mary has fallen and shoots her a second time. Witnesses reported hearing multiple rapid pops and seeing two people collapse in quick succession. Officers responding from the area arrived within minutes and found the suspect near the doorway with a handgun on the ground.
Court documents describe a brief exchange on the curb after officers detained the man. When asked if he knew the people who had been shot, he said they were his wife and her coworker. The paperwork says Mary, still conscious at first, told officers that her husband shot her; the statement was captured on body-worn camera. Both victims were rushed to Banner Desert Hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. Investigators say the victims were employees of the Little Caesars and had arrived for their shift shortly before the gunfire. The restaurant sits in a busy southwest Tempe retail corner where morning traffic funnels past a grocery store, salons and small service shops.
The records outline a lead-up that stretched across the weekend. Managers told detectives the suspect came to the shop on Sunday night, Nov. 30, accusing employees of sleeping with his wife. He was “shooed” away and no call for service was made. Co-workers recounted earlier incidents where he watched Mary from a nearby bench or stormed out of a neighboring business after seeing her speak with Simmons, slamming a door hard enough that employees feared the glass might break. Police say there is no evidence that Mary and Simmons had a relationship beyond work; relatives of Simmons called the allegation a rumor that fueled harassment and tension before the killings.
In a recorded 911 call immediately after the shooting, the suspect identified himself by name and told the dispatcher he had “just pulled a gun” and shot two people, according to the complaint. He said he set the firearm on the ground and asked for help. Investigators say they recovered the weapon and collected shell casings from the sidewalk and lot, along with video from the pizza shop and neighboring storefronts. Detectives canvassed for angles that captured the first shots and Simmons’ path as he tried to flee east along the strip mall. Officers also retrieved Mary’s phone, which she had been using to call for help as the shooting erupted.
Once at headquarters, the suspect told detectives he and his wife had argued that morning about finances and him getting a job. The paperwork says he initially claimed to have “blacked out,” then later said he believed Mary was having an affair but had no proof beyond how “she had been acting.” He also spoke about controlling his wife’s activities and acknowledged that murder is wrong, according to the interview summary. The file notes his statements about untreated mental illness and learning issues; investigators said he last took medication years ago but did not specify a diagnosis. The complaint lists the couple’s six-month-old child as being at a nearby day care at the time of the shooting.
Family members of the victims described sudden loss and ordinary routines that turned into tragedy. Outside the hospital, relatives remembered Simmons as competitive and family-oriented, the cousin who volunteered to help and the son who “did things the right way.” His father said losing him felt like having the center of the household torn away. Friends of Mary shared photos from early shifts and quiet evenings, saying she had settled into a rhythm between work, marriage and caring for the baby. Co-workers said the pair had become reliable opening staff, the ones who often arrived early to prep dough and stock the line.
The strip mall’s weekday morning scene offered investigators a straightforward grid to canvass. Detectives traced the route officers took from nearby traffic stops to the storefront, measured the sightlines from each business door, and checked whether the earliest arriving employees saw the suspect before the first shots. Technicians documented entry holes in glass and marked positions on the sidewalk where bullet fragments were recovered. Police interviewed managers who said they had planned to discuss the prior night’s disturbance with corporate but had not yet reached anyone before the shooting happened.
Tempe police say the criminal case will proceed in Maricopa County Superior Court, where prosecutors will present the first-degree murder counts to a grand jury or file a direct complaint. A judge has already set bond and ordered that the suspect have no contact with the victims’ families. The court’s next steps include status hearings on counsel, disclosures of evidence from police, and scheduling for preliminary proceedings. If indicted, the case will move to arraignment and trial track, a process that typically unfolds over months in homicide cases. The defense has not filed public motions beyond initial appearances.
Neighbors and nearby business owners described a jolt of police activity and a sudden lull after the scene was taped off. Staff at a nail salon and a convenience shop said they heard a quick series of gunshots, then saw officers flooding the lot. By late morning, the store’s front windows reflected blue lights and crime-scene markers dotted the sidewalk. A small cluster of flowers and a hand-written note appeared near the door the following day. “You don’t expect to start work and see this,” one shop owner said, adding that the corner is usually quiet even during lunch rush.
As of Tuesday, investigators had finished their initial evidence collection and were working through surveillance clips and witness statements. Police said they found no sign of additional suspects, and there is no indication of a broader threat at the shopping center. The medical examiner will finalize causes of death; preliminary accounts cite gunshot wounds consistent with the sequence seen on video. Detectives said more details could become public in future filings, including full 911 transcripts and body-worn camera timelines, as the court process moves forward.
Author note: Last updated December 17, 2025.