In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Tucson, Arizona, the sounds of a house party were tragically silenced by gunfire. On February 5, 2023, 19-year-old Eduardo Salazar was killed in a shooting that erupted at a gathering on the city's southeast side. The incident, which occurred near Alvernon Way and Valencia Road, also left three other teenagers, all 16-year-old boys, with injuries.
Neighbors reported hearing loud music from the party before the chaos of gunshots and screaming
teenagers filled the air. When Tucson police officers arrived at the scene around 3:15 a.m., they found Eduardo Salazar, a male, deceased. The three other victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries. At least one of the injured teens was a student at Desert View High School.
In the months following the deadly shooting, an investigation led to the arrest of a suspect. On May 3, 2023, authorities took 15-year-old Fabian Velarde into custody in connection with the incident. Velarde was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and three counts of attempted murder. At the time of his arrest for the shooting, he was reportedly already on release for prior weapons violations.
