In the late afternoon of November 23, 2018, a dispute in a parking lot on Tucson's south side tragically escalated, ending the life of 25-year-old Bernardo Marin. The male victim was with a companion at 5118 S. 12th Ave. when a verbal altercation broke out with at least two other men. The argument quickly turned violent as gunfire erupted, striking both Marin and his companion.
When Tucson police officers arrived just after 4:00 p.m., they found Marin in the parking lot with evident
signs of gunshot trauma. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene. As law enforcement secured the area, they learned that a vehicle had fled immediately after the shooting. Officers located the vehicle in a nearby neighborhood and discovered the driver was Marin's companion, who had also sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The investigation into Bernardo Marin's death, which police stated did not appear to be gang-motivated, led to an arrest nearly two months later. On January 11, 2019, detectives arrested 29-year-old Augustino Martinez in connection with the homicide. Martinez was already incarcerated at the Pima County Jail on unrelated charges when he was served with the new warrant. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of aggravated assault with serious physical injury.
At the time of Martinez's arrest, Tucson police indicated that they believed additional suspects were involved in the incident and that the investigation was ongoing. They urged anyone with information to come forward. However, details regarding the outcome of the legal proceedings against Augustino Martinez, and whether any other suspects were ever publicly identified or apprehended, have not been made available in subsequent public reports.
