In the late morning of a Thursday in Tucson, Arizona, a person passing by made a grim discovery that would unravel a story of youth violence. On September 12, 2024, the body of 16-year-old Adrian Aguilar was found on the side of South Oak Tree Drive. The passerby quickly alerted the authorities, and at approximately 10:30 a.m., Tucson Police officers arrived at the scene just north of Valencia Road.
They found the young male with clear signs of gunshot trauma and, despite immediate life-saving efforts by both police and the Tucson Fire Department, he was pronounced deceased at the location.
The investigation into the death of Adrian Aguilar, a male, quickly shifted from a grim discovery to a homicide case. Detectives from the Tucson Police Department's Homicide Unit took charge, processing the scene and beginning the search for leads. Their investigation determined that Adrian had been the victim of a drive-by shooting. The authorities appealed to the public for any information that could shed light on the circumstances leading to the teenager's death, urging community members to contact 88-CRIME or 911.
Within days, the investigation yielded significant progress. Homicide detectives were able to identify a Ford pickup truck as the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting. From there, they identified two suspects, both 16 years old: Alan Solis-Araujo and Marco Antonio Pallanes-Luzania. It was discovered that a previous confrontation between one of the suspects and Adrian had preceded the fatal shooting. On September 17, 2024, Alan Solis-Araujo was located at his home on Tucson's Southside and taken into custody without incident by a SWAT team.
The second suspect, Marco Antonio Pallanes-Luzania, was believed to have fled the Tucson area. However, his time as a fugitive was short-lived. On September 18, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested him at the Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona, after discovering the outstanding warrant for his arrest. Both teenagers have been charged with 1st Degree Murder and Drive-by Shooting. Alan Solis-Araujo was booked into the Pima County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond, while Marco Antonio Pallanes-Luzania was held in the Cochise County Jail, awaiting extradition back to Pima County.
