Forrest Beckett Keys, a 20-year-old male student at the University of Arizona, was fatally shot on the night of February 20, 2021, in what police described as a random act of violence. Keys, a communications major from Pennsylvania, was walking with friends near the Cherry Avenue parking garage on the Tucson campus at approximately 11 p.m. when a verbal altercation began with the occupants of a passing maroon Cadillac.
The situation escalated when the vehicle, a 2008 Cadillac DTS, turned
around and drove back toward Keys and his friends. After an exchange of words through an open window, Keys punched one of the passengers. In response, another individual in the car shot him multiple times at close range. Despite being able to run a short distance, Keys collapsed in the parking garage and was pronounced dead at the scene from two gunshot wounds to the chest.
The Tucson Police Department, in conjunction with the University of Arizona Police Department, launched a homicide investigation that quickly led to the identification of suspects. Within days, three 17-year-olds were arrested in connection with the shooting. Alonzo Orosco was identified as the driver of the Cadillac. Ruben Young was identified as the shooter, and Roberto Joaquin Camargo was another passenger in the vehicle whose actions contributed to the incident. All three were initially charged with first-degree murder and drive-by shooting.
The legal proceedings concluded with convictions for all three individuals. Alonzo Orosco and Ruben Young both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated assault. They were each sentenced to 30 years in prison. Roberto Joaquin Camargo accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to three years of probation for first-degree hindering prosecution. His sentence also requires him to be a full-time student or gainfully employed, obtain a diploma or GED, and attend moral recognition therapy.
