Glendale man arrested on suspicion of killing food delivery driver

Pamela Rae Martinez was killed in her car after delivering a fast food order in Glendale.
Pamela Rae Martinez was killed in her car after delivering a fast food order in Glendale.

A 62-year-old Glendale man was arrested on suspicion of the fatal shooting of a delivery driver earlier this month.

On June 11, Pamela Rae Martinez, 60, was shot and killed in her car after she completed a fast food delivery order in Glendale, near Bell Road and 61st Avenue.

Glendale police officers responded to calls about a car driving into a landscaping area around 7:30 p.m., and found Martinez unresponsive inside. Police forced their way into the car, according to a statement from the Glendale Police Department. Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation found that Martinez took a photo of a man identified as Rusty French, who was parked next to her on the side of the road, after she made her food delivery. The reason remains unclear. Police said French and Martinez apparently didn't know each other and she wasn't delivering food to him.

French told police he must have blacked out during the shooting, according to a statement from the Glendale Police Department. A search of French's house uncovered a handgun that was a match for the one used in the shooting, police said, along with other evidence they said pointed to him as the shooting suspect. No other details were provided.

French was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree murder.

Reach criminal justice reporter Gloria Rebecca Gomez at grgomez@gannett.com or on Twitter @glorihuh.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Glendale man arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting delivery driver