In the early morning hours of June 9, 2023, the life of 19-year-old Jaime 'Jimmy' Torres was tragically cut short in Sierra Vista, Arizona. A Hispanic male, Torres was at an apartment complex on Coronado Road when he sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The shooting is reported to have occurred at approximately 4 a.m. inside one of the apartment units.
Following the shooting, Torres was not immediately discovered by authorities at the scene.
Instead of being taken to the emergency room entrance of the local hospital, Torres was transported to Canyon Vista Medical Center by two individuals, a male and a female. They attempted to find an entrance to the hospital and associated office buildings but were unable to locate the emergency room. Torres, who was still alive at the time, was then left at a non-public entrance to the facility. It was there that hospital personnel later discovered him. Despite efforts to revive him, Torres was pronounced deceased by an emergency room physician.
An investigation by the Sierra Vista Police Department into the circumstances of Torres's death led to an arrest three weeks later. On June 30, 2023, detectives took 21-year-old Manuel Antonio Long of Huachuca City into custody. Long, who was an acquaintance of Torres and the owner of the weapon used in the shooting, was arrested without incident at the police department. He faces multiple felony charges, including manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, tampering with physical evidence, and influencing a witness. Long was booked into the Cochise County Jail and is being held on a $250,000 bond.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities indicating that additional arrests are possible. A female who was with Long and Torres at the time of the shooting was identified as having assisted in taking Torres to the hospital. Police have continued to seek information from the public regarding the incident as they work to uncover the motive for the shooting and the full details of the events that transpired. Torres was remembered by his family as a compassionate young man with a passion for cars who was about to begin a career as a mechanic.
