On a Friday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona, the life of 49-year-old Francisco Vejar was tragically cut short in a violent encounter at a local pawn shop. On June 20, 2025, Vejar was a customer at the establishment located at 1110 West Prince Road when a suspect entered and began shooting. The gunman first targeted an employee, 47-year-old Anthony David Tarli, who was shot and later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
During the chaos of the armed robbery, as the assailant was
stealing firearms from a display case, he fatally shot Francisco Vejar, who was lying on the ground. Vejar was pronounced deceased at the scene. The suspect then fled the store, getting into a vehicle waiting outside.
An extensive search for the suspect and the getaway vehicle was immediately launched by law enforcement. Investigators were able to identify the vehicle and distributed its information to other law enforcement agencies. Later that same evening, the vehicle was located in Glendale, Arizona, at an apartment complex. Two individuals, identified as 44-year-old David Javier Maldonado and 23-year-old Amari Taivonne Harris, were detained.
Following their apprehension, Tucson Police detectives traveled to Glendale to interview both Maldonado and Harris. After the execution of search warrants in both Glendale and Tucson, several of the stolen firearms were recovered. Both David Javier Maldonado and Amari Taivonne Harris were subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated robbery and armed robbery. They were transported to the Pima County Jail to be held in custody.
