'KILLER' AND THE CHAMP; EXCLUSIVE Suspect in Tyson boast.

Byline: RYAN PARRY, US Correspondent in New York 

SUSPECTED serial killer Dale Hausner shakes hands with boxing legend Mike Tyson in a bizarre twist to a shooting spree that has left a US city paralysed by fear.

Sports photographer Hausner, 33, was arrested with his friend Samuel Dieteman, 31, last week over alleged links to six random murders and 17 further attacks.

Boxing mad Hausner, who claims he has cancer, earlier took photos of a string of ring heroes. including Tyson, which he posted on his website. He stopped showing up at fights shortly after the "Serial Shooter" killings began in Phoenix, Arizona, and the surrounding area.

Yesterday friends were stunned the quietly spoken dad could be responsible. Photographer Mary Ann Owen said: "I can't believe he could do something so wicked.

"He doesn't even look as if he knows which end of a gun the bullet comes out of."

But Hausner's former wife Karen alleged in a 2001 divorce that he threatened to kill her with a shotgun he was carrying. For months Phoenix has been targeted by two random killers.

The "Serial Shooter", now thought to be two men, is blamed for six late night murders since May last year.

The "Baseline Killer", who is still at large, is wanted for eight murders and a series of armed robberies and sex attacks since September. Hausner and Dieteman were arrested after four days' surveillance. Police say they found shotguns and rifles in their apartment as well as a map with dots representing the locations of attacks.

Dieteman had allegedly selected targets that he called "RV" - Random Recreational Violence.

Hausner is the father of a two-year-old daughter. His sons of two and three drowned in a creek in 1994.

The men are accused of two murders and 13 attempted murders.

A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for August 14.

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FAN: Hausner with Tyson' ACCUSED: Dieteman' MANACLED: Suspect Hausner in court