Man killed when car plows into care home in Arizona

By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona man who may have been trying to commit suicide slammed his car into a group care home, killing one of the residents inside, and will be booked on suspicion of murder, police said on Monday. The 61-year-old victim was carried about 20 feet by the impact and died in hospital on Monday following Sunday night's incident at an assisted care home in Phoenix which helps people with brain injuries, a police spokesman said. Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department said the 48-year-old driver remained at a local hospital with an unrelated medical condition. He will be booked on suspicion of murder and endangerment upon his release, Holmes said. There were no other injuries reported. Neither the victim nor the driver have been named. Police said there were five adult residents and two caretakers inside the home when the white 2004 Nissan crashed through a bedroom wall, striking the victim and carrying him with it before coming to rest in the kitchen. Holmes said a witness reported the vehicle accelerated to a high speed before the crash, but that it was not yet determined how fast the man was traveling. Police said the suspect made "unusual and inconsistent statements" at the scene, but people close to the suspect told officers the incident may have been a suicide attempt. The suspect had no known connection to the group home, police said, and it was not immediately clear whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time. (Reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)