Gunman kills speed camera operator

A suspect has been arrested after a speed camera operator was fatally shot on a freeway near Phoenix, Arizona, the first US state to controversially apply a state-wide camera network.

The 51-year-old victim, Doug Georgianni, was found near his radar enforcement vehicle, parked in a location to catch speedsters, after police answered reports of gun shots on the busy freeway.

The employee of Redflex Traffic Systems, which operates the cameras under contract with Arizona's Department of Public safety, was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his bullet wounds.

Video equipment aboard the Ford Escape DPS vehicle, showed a Chevrolet Suburban that was believed to have been used during the shooting.

The shooting appears to be road rage at its most destructive and a further sign that some people react badly to policies that appear to bring revenue to the state rather than saving lives..

Scottsdale-based Redflex Traffic Systems is a unit of Redflex Holdings Group, headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria.

DPS Director Roger Vanderpool said that Arizona's speed camera program improves public safety but critics said its inclusion in the budget was a clear sign that boosting state revenue was the real motivation.