In the early morning hours of October 23, 2020, the life of 19-year-old Eric Andres Martinez, a Hispanic male, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in midtown Tucson, Arizona. The events leading to his death began to unfold when Martinez, accompanied by an acquaintance, went to a trailer park on West Prince Road in search of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
Upon arriving at one of the trailers, their demands to know the whereabouts of the ex-girlfriend were met with refusal, and they were asked to leave.
The situation escalated when a stolen pickup truck arrived at the trailer, carrying 23-year-old Bradley Joseph Williams, Martinez's ex-girlfriend, 17-year-old Litzy Anahi Iriarte-Serrano, and 26-year-old Ricardo Fragoso. As the trio exited the vehicle, Martinez and his acquaintance confronted them in what authorities describe as an attempted robbery. In the ensuing chaos, gunfire erupted, and both Martinez and his acquaintance were struck. Tucson police officers, who were in the vicinity on an unrelated matter and heard the gunshots, rushed to the scene. They discovered Martinez, who was pronounced dead at the location, and his acquaintance, who was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Williams and Fragoso fled the scene but were apprehended by responding officers shortly after. The subsequent investigation led to charges against multiple individuals. Bradley Joseph Williams was charged with two counts of theft of means of transportation and a probation violation. Ricardo Fragoso faced charges including being a prohibited possessor and possession of methamphetamine for sale. Further investigation identified Martinez's acquaintance, 18-year-old Daniel Alejandro Cabrera, and his ex-girlfriend, Litzy Anahi Iriarte-Serrano, as additional suspects. Both Cabrera and Iriarte-Serrano were charged with felony murder for their alleged roles in the attempted robbery that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of Eric Andres Martinez.
