A former professional baseball player sought in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend in a Phoenix suburb was found dead Saturday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Grand Canyon, police said. The body of Charles Haeger, 37, was discovered about 4 p.m. on a trail along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, Sgt. Ben Hoster, a Scottsdale Police Department spokesman said in a statement Saturday night.
Al Behrman / AP
Police were seeking Haeger on suspicion of murder and aggravated assault in the fatal shooting Friday, Hoster said. The victim was identified by police Saturday night as Danielle Breed, 34.
Breed, whose maiden name was Long, owned The Tipsy Coyote Bar and Grill in Scottsdale, KSAZ-TV reported.
Earlier Saturday, Haeger’s unoccupied vehicle was found near Flagstaff in northern Arizona, police said. Flagstaff is 118 miles north of Scottsdale.
Hoster said investigators determined that a male roommate of the victim heard gunshots when he returned to the residence Friday and that moments later Haeger emerged from the victim’s bedroom with a handgun.
“Haeger then pointed the handgun at the roommate. The roommate quickly escaped out of the back of the residence, and he was able to get a neighbor to call 911,” Hoster said in a statement.
Responding police found the victim dead in her bedroom, Hoster said.
According to CBSSports.com, Haeger was a pitcher drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2001, and he played 83 innings in the the major leagues. His career included stints with the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations.
CBSSports.com reports that after his playing career, Haeger spent time as an assistant minor-league pitching coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays organization from 2016 through 2018. Prior to the 2020 season, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs as the pitching coach for the club’s Double-A Tennessee Smokies, but the Minor League Baseball season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
