In the late hours of a Friday evening in Tucson, Arizona, the life of 22-year-old Marcos Nino was abruptly cut short. On October 7, 2022, Nino, a young father, was fatally shot in a south side neighborhood, leaving a family to grapple with a sudden and violent loss. The Tucson Police Department was notified of the shooting and upon their arrival, they discovered a man with obvious signs of gunshot trauma.
Despite the immediate medical attention he received from officers and the subsequent arrival of Tucson Fire Department paramedics, Nino succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting fell to the Tucson Police Department's Homicide Unit. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Section were tasked with piecing together the events that led to the young man's death. Their investigation began at the scene of the shooting, located in the 3600 block of South 16th Avenue. Details about a potential suspect or suspects were not immediately released to the public. In the days and weeks that followed, the investigation continued, with authorities seeking information from the community to help shed light on the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting. The case, however, grew cold, and for over a year, there were no public updates on any arrests or persons of interest.
A significant development in the case came more than a year later. On November 28, 2023, the Tucson Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with Marcos Nino's murder. Lorenzo O. Puentes, who was 18 years old at the time of the shooting, was taken into custody. His arrest was the result of a lengthy and persistent investigation by the homicide detectives. Puentes was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder. The arrest brought a renewed sense of hope for justice for Nino's family, though the motive for the shooting and the specifics of what transpired on that October night have not been publicly detailed by law enforcement. Lorenzo Puentes is currently awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in the death of Marcos Nino.
