In the evening hours of August 22, 2022, a tragedy unfolded at Joaquin Murrieta Park in Tucson, Arizona, that claimed the life of 38-year-old Elmer Tarazon. A male of Black or African American descent, Tarazon was on the west side of the park, located at 1400 N. Silverbell Road, when he was fatally shot shortly after 6:20 p.m. The Tucson Police Department responded to reports of the shooting and found Tarazon with gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical aid, including CPR, was administered at the scene before he was transported to Banner-University Medical Center, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
The investigation into the homicide revealed that the shooting stemmed from an attempted robbery. It is believed that an argument took place between Tarazon and the individuals who sought to rob him, which tragically escalated to the fatal shooting. The authorities identified three suspects in connection with the murder: 30-year-old Armando Ruiz Valencia, 39-year-old Sergio Guillermo Urquidez, and 35-year-old Cesar Ruiz Valencia.
In the weeks that followed, law enforcement successfully located and apprehended all three suspects. On October 3rd, Armando Ruiz Valencia was arrested in Nogales, Arizona. The next day, Sergio Guillermo Urquidez was taken into custody in Tucson. Both men were subsequently booked into the Pima County Jail to face charges of first-degree murder. The third suspect, Cesar Ruiz Valencia, was later apprehended in Colorado with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Arizona WANTED Task Force. He was booked into the Grand County Sheriff's Office Detention Center.
