On the morning of December 1, 2025, a violent double homicide occurred outside a Little Caesars restaurant located near the intersection of Guadalupe and Rural roads in Tempe, Arizona. At approximately 9:00 a.m., gunfire erupted at the strip mall as employees were arriving for their shifts. The attack targeted two workers at the pizza shop, identified as 21-year-old female Mary Visser and her 32-year-old co-worker, Shaquille Simmons.
Bystanders and business owners in the area reported hearing a rapid succession of gunshots, and police officers, who happened to be nearby investigating an unrelated incident, responded immediately to the scene. Both victims were found with critical gunshot wounds and were rushed to a local hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries.
The investigation identified the primary suspect as 27-year-old Benjaman Andrew Visser Jr., the husband of Mary Visser. According to court documents and police statements, the shooting was allegedly motivated by the suspect's jealousy and an unfounded belief that his wife and Simmons were involved in a romantic relationship. Investigators noted that there was no evidence of an affair and that the victims were merely co-workers. Reports indicate that Benjaman Visser had displayed concerning behavior prior to the attack, including causing a disturbance at the restaurant the previous night and sitting outside a nearby business to watch his wife work. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the suspect ambushing the victims as they approached the store, shooting Simmons as he attempted to flee before turning the weapon on his wife.
Following the shooting, Benjaman Visser allegedly took his injured wife's phone and dialed 911, admitting to the dispatcher that he had just shot two people. He was apprehended at the scene by the responding officers, who found him still holding a firearm. During police interviews, he claimed he had "blacked out" following an argument about finances earlier that morning. Benjaman Visser was arrested and booked on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, with a judge setting his bond at $2 million. The tragedy left the Vissers' six-month-old infant without parents and also claimed the life of Simmons, who was reported to be an expectant father with a pregnant girlfriend.
