On a Sunday evening in Tucson, Arizona, a verbal altercation in a parking lot set in motion a tragic chain of events that would end in the death of 30-year-old Luis Barraza-Bautista. On November 15, 2020, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Barraza-Bautista found himself in a dispute with another man, later identified as 54-year-old Pedro Garcia Martinez. The argument was serious enough that as Martinez drove away from the scene in his red pickup truck, Barraza-Bautista decided to follow him, dialing
911 to report the incident.
While on the phone with the dispatcher, Barraza-Bautista relayed the license plate of Martinez's vehicle, continuing his pursuit. The 911 call captured the unfolding drama, but suddenly, the line went silent from Barraza-Bautista's end. In the background, the dispatcher could hear the chilling sound of gunshots. Almost simultaneously, other 911 calls flooded in, with callers reporting gunfire and a vehicle that had crashed into a house in the 3000 block of E. Via Genovesa.
Tucson police officers arrived at the crash scene to find Barraza-Bautista in the driver's seat of his vehicle, which had collided with a residence. He had sustained obvious and life-threatening gunshot wounds. Officers immediately began rendering first aid until Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported him to Banner University Medical Center. Despite their efforts, Luis Barraza-Bautista, a male, succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly. The day after the incident, on November 16, 2020, officers located Pedro Garcia Martinez near E. Golf Links Rd. and S. Craycroft Rd. He was taken into custody and subsequently interviewed by detectives. Following the interview, Martinez was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Luis Barraza-Bautista.
