4 9/11 Ceremony
6 Editorial
7 Letters to the Editor
7 What's bugging our mesquites
9 Restaurants
9 Blood Drive
10 Traveling with Gypsy Jane
14 The Salvation Army happenings
15 Adventures with Rocks
16 Sherri's Turn
16 Assessor's Corner
17 QPD Bulletin
19 Tiny House
19 Nancy's Kitchen
20 Churches
22 Classifeds
22 Paul Winer's Cartoon
www.DesertMessenger.com • "Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper" • 928-916-4235
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 20, 2017
VOL. 14
#
263
Now in our
14
t
h
YEAR!
Alwa
y
s
FREE!
Paul
Winer's
Cartoon
WHAT'S
INSIDE
SEE
SHOOTING
PAGE
2
Man
dies
in
shoot
out
with
agents
������
| S������
RAIN
G�����-B���
By
Shanana
Rain
Golden-Bear
Quartzsite,
AZ
- A
section
of
I-10
east
of
Quartzsite,
along
with
Exit
17
was
shut
down
Wednesday
morn-
ing
after
an
armed
suspect
was
fatally
shot
while
exchanging
gunfi
re
with
Arizona
Department
of
Public
Safety
(DPS)
troopers,
Border
Patrol
agents,
and
La
Paz
County
Sheriff's
deputies.
34-year-old
Rodolfo
Ballardo
of
Wasco,
Calif.,
a
Central
Valley
farming
community,
is
dead.
The
second
male
sus-
pect
43-year-old
Marcos
Ricardo
Ruiz-Zazueta
of
Kingman,
is
in
custody
of
DPS.
The
incident
began
at
12:56
a.m.,
during
a
traffi
c
stop
conducted
by
a
state
trooper
westbound
along
I-10
at
milepost
57
-
40
miles
east
of
Quartzsite.
At
12:56
a.m.
an
AZDPS
trooper
conducted
a
traffi
c
stop
on
a
blue
Ford
Mustang
for
a
suspended
license
plate.
The
trooper
had
Ruiz-Zazueta,
the
driver,
exit
the
Mustang.
During
the
discussion
about
the
reason
for
the
traffi
c
stop,
Ballardo,
the
front
seat
passenger
of
the
Mustang
got
out
and
fi
red
a
weapon
at
the
trooper.
The
trooper
returned
fi
re
and
Ballardo
fl
ed
from
the
scene
of
the
traffi
c
stop
in
the
Mustang,
westbound
along
I-10.
Vehicle
and
suspect
information
was
given
to
area
troopers
as
well
as
United
States
Customs
&
Border
Patrol
agents
from
the
Yuma
Sector,
Quartzsite
Police
Offi
cers,
and
La
Paz
County
Deputies.
9/11
Ceremony
SEE
9/11
ON
PAGE
4
