On the evening of February 5, 2023, a confrontation in Mesa, Arizona, tragically ended the life of 24-year-old Marquis Tariq Johnson, a Black/African American male. The events began to unfold around 9:40 p.m. near Mesa Drive and Brown Road. Johnson was with a friend when they heard what they believed to be a gunshot. Shortly after, a group consisting of three males and one female approached them on the sidewalk.
An exchange of words between Johnson and the group quickly escalated into a
physical altercation. As Johnson's friend attempted to intervene and assist him, one of the males in the group, later identified as 16-year-old Armando Medina, produced a gun and pointed it at both Johnson and his friend. Following this threatening display, the group began to walk away northbound, with Johnson and his friend following behind them.
The fatal moment occurred when the two parties reached the parking lot of an apartment complex at 1230 N Mesa Drive. Medina turned around and fired several shots, striking Johnson. Mesa Police officers, responding to multiple calls of shots fired in the area, arrived to find Johnson in the parking lot with gunshot wounds. Despite the response from medical personnel, Marquis Tariq Johnson was pronounced deceased at the scene at 10:05 p.m.
Mesa police detectives launched an investigation that swiftly led them to identify Medina and the female who was with him on the night of the shooting. On February 8, 2023, officers spotted three males, including Medina, in the same area where the shooting had occurred. After detaining and interviewing the individuals, Armando Medina was arrested. He faced charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
