In the early morning hours of July 27, 2018, a night out with friends in Tucson, Arizona, turned tragic for 29-year-old Avrum Diaz. The young man was in the parking lot of the Casa Blanca Hookah Lounge on East Speedway Boulevard, preparing to enter the establishment with his companions. An altercation erupted with another group of individuals in the parking lot, quickly escalating to an exchange of gunfire.
Diaz was struck by multiple bullets and, despite the immediate efforts of his friends and first responders to render aid, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The Tucson Police Department's Gang Unit took the lead in the investigation, believing the shooting to be gang-related. The suspects fled the area immediately after the fatal confrontation, prompting a search for those responsible for Diaz's death. Investigators followed up on several leads in the days following the shooting.
The investigation led to the identification of a suspect, and on August 1, 2018, the U.S. Marshals Service Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force arrested Dominic Blount in connection with the homicide. Blount was taken into custody at a residence in Tucson without incident. Following his arrest, the legal process began to bring closure to the case. Eventually, a man was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the fatal shooting that claimed Avrum Diaz's life.
