On June 1, 2020, Natasha Raye Aposhian, a 21-year-old female Airman First Class in the U.S. Air Force, was fatally shot in a dormitory at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. A native of Arizona, Aposhian had recently embarked on her military career, having been assigned to the base in April of that year as an Aircraft Parts Store Apprentice with the 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
She was a 2017 graduate of Chandler High School and had joined the Air Force in 2019, graduating with honors from basic training.
The incident was identified by Aposhian's parents as a senseless act of domestic violence. They revealed that their daughter had been in a brief relationship with the man who shot her and had expressed fear of him due to his volatile, aggressive, and controlling behavior. Her mother stated that Natasha had told her, "Mom, I think he's going to kill me," and had intended to seek a protective order.
The perpetrator was identified as 20-year-old Airman First Class Julian Carlos Torres, who was assigned to the 319th Security Forces Squadron. After shooting Aposhian, Torres died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Because the incident was determined to be a murder-suicide, authorities were not seeking any other suspects directly involved in the shootings. The investigation did, however, lead to legal consequences for another airman.
In connection with the shooting, Airman 1st Class Daesha Renae Heard was charged with the illegal purchase and transfer of the handgun used by Torres. Court documents alleged that Torres had asked Heard to buy the handgun for him as he was not of legal age to purchase it himself. Heard was accused of making a false statement during the purchase of the firearm by indicating she was the actual buyer.
