Damian Bryan Quinones, a 46-year-old Hispanic man and a loving father of five, was killed in Tucson, Arizona, on the night of July 17, 2024. Just after 11 p.m., Quinones was at a Circle K convenience store at 7510 E. 22nd St. when he got into a verbal argument with another man, 24-year-old Martin Cruz Garcia. The dispute escalated from words to a physical fight inside the store.
The two men moved outside, where their argument continued.
It was there that Garcia produced a firearm and shot Quinones. When Tucson Police Department officers and Tucson Fire paramedics arrived, they administered life-saving measures, but Quinones succumbed to his gunshot wounds and died at the scene.
Garcia fled after the shooting, but investigators quickly tracked him to a nearby home near East 22nd Street and South Kolb Road. Police surrounded the residence and called for the occupants to exit. Garcia surrendered to the officers and was taken into custody without further incident. He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and held on a $1,000,000 bond.
On May 28, 2026, a jury found Martin Cruz Garcia guilty of first-degree murder. The jury also found there were aggravating circumstances, determining that Garcia used a deadly weapon during the crime and that his actions inflicted physical, emotional, and financial harm on the family of Damian Quinones. On July 27, 2026, Garcia was sentenced to natural life in prison without the possibility of parole, which was the only sentence available for the conviction.
