Phoenix and police officials today announced the arrest of two men in connection with a series of shootings and killings dating back to May 2005.

Dale S. Hausner and Samuel John Dieteman were arrested early this morning.

"These are two of the monsters we've been hunting," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who addressed the media this morning at a press conference at Phoenix City Hall. "I thank the Phoenix Police Department for all of their dogged and relentless pursuit of these criminals, and whose tireless work continues. I'm so grateful to all of our officers and their families."

Gordon especially praised the investigative and collaborative work of a special crime task force that consisted of law enforcement officials from Phoenix, Tolleson, Mesa and Scottsdale police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

"Over the course of the year, investigators cast a wide net over a vast array of shooting cases that included homicides, aggravated assaults and animals as victims," said Police Chief Jack Harris. "The community in which we live has responded positively to this crisis with thousands of calls to Silent Witness."

More than 200 Phoenix police officers worked around the clock investigating more than 6,000 tips from residents who called in with information.