Yvette Gutierrez

Yvette Gutierrez was a 31-year-old Hispanic/Latino woman described by those who knew her as having "big dreams and a big heart." A mother to nine children, she was "always on the grind" and tried to keep a smile on her face. At the time of her death, she was six weeks pregnant.

On the morning of Sunday, November 13, 2022, police in Tucson, Arizona, were called to the Wadee Smoke Shop on South 12th Avenue before 10 a.m. for a report of a homicide. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Yvette and another woman, 42-year-old Sawsan Toma. Both women had been fatally shot and were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later learned that Yvette had been a customer at the shop when she and Toma were locked inside.

Within two days, detectives identified a suspect. On November 15, police arrested 43-year-old Yusuf Ahmed-Ibrahim in the area of South Second Avenue and East 18th Street. He was the owner of the building where the smoke shop was located and was also a business partner and close friend of Sawsan Toma. Ahmed-Ibrahim was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and held on a $2 million bond.

The arrest stunned Toma's family, who said Ahmed-Ibrahim had been to their home for family meals and was someone her children looked up to. During the trial, one of Toma's sons delivered a victim impact statement, describing the pain his family would carry forever. "The birthdays she won’t be at, the hugs we won’t receive," he said. "The image of his mother, lying dead and cold on the floor," he added, would be his final memory of her.

In August 2025, a jury found Yusuf Ahmed-Ibrahim guilty on two counts of first-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing, Ahmed-Ibrahim maintained his innocence and expressed his intent to appeal the verdict. Toma's son told the court, "While nothing will bring her back, knowing he’s held accountable is the only peace for my family." In October 2025, Ahmed-Ibrahim was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.