Azucena Reina Jerez Price was a 17-year-old Hispanic female whose life was cut short by gun violence in Arizona on March 15, 2023. According to gun-violence databases, she is listed as having been lost to a shooting that day, with memorial pages noting her age, name and the date and state of her death and describing how friends and relatives remember her as funny, loving, caring and ambitious.
That night Azucena was at a house party with other teenagers at a duplex apartment complex in midtown Tucson. Police records and news reports say officers were dispatched after a 911 call about a possible shooting at a residence near East 5th Street and North Country Club Road. When Tucson Police arrived, they found blood at or near the doorway of an apartment and followed a long trail through the complex, which led them to a swimming pool where Azucena was found in the water with a gunshot wound to the head.
Witness statements summarized in Spanish-language and true-crime coverage indicate that the gathering had been crowded with young people when one guest arrived carrying a handgun. During the party, that guest reportedly took out the weapon to show it off and began handling it in front of others; at some point the gun discharged, and Azucena was struck in the head. While the shooter fled, two other young men at the scene are alleged to have wrapped her in a sheet, carried her out of the apartment and left her body in the complex’s pool shortly before police arrived. Investigators later found burned bedding in a nearby yard, which they believe was an attempt to destroy evidence linking the apartment to the shooting.
Within days, three suspects were identified and arrested. Reports name 16-year-old Juvenito Cervantes-Burke as the alleged gunman, and 19-year-olds Joshua Galen Wood and Christopher Bravo as his co-defendants. Cervantes-Burke was arrested at a relative’s home and initially charged with manslaughter in connection with Azucena’s death, while Wood was booked on charges including evidence tampering, hindering prosecution, concealment of a body and third-degree burglary. Bravo was charged with evidence tampering. Spanish-language coverage further notes that all three were accused in court documents of homicide-related offenses and manipulating or attempting to destroy evidence after the shooting, reflecting authorities’ view that the two older teens acted as accomplices by helping to move her body and conceal what had happened.
In the aftermath, Azucena’s family and community turned to public memorials and fundraising to cope with their loss. An online fundraiser organized shortly after her death states that donations would go toward her funeral expenses and lawyers, suggesting the family anticipated ongoing legal proceedings as the criminal case moved forward. Gun-violence remembrance pages continue to host photos, candles and messages from loved ones expressing how deeply she is missed, underscoring the enduring impact of her killing on those who knew her.
