Tucson police investigate shooting outside gay bar as possible hate crime
Three people died after an early-morning shooting in the parking lot of Tucson's Venture-N bar; police say a note found on the suspect listed LGBTQIA+-associated businesses.
Police in Tucson, Arizona, are treating a shooting that killed three people outside a gay bar as a potential hate crime. The gunfire happened just after midnight on Monday in the parking lot of Venture-N. According to police, the suspected gunman, 44-year-old Ousman Ceesay, allegedly killed 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara. Ceesay, who had gunshot wounds, later died at a local hospital.
In a statement, Tucson police said initial evidence indicated the suspect confronted the victims in the parking lot before shooting them. The department said there was no known active threat to the public. The suspect was found carrying a note that listed several businesses associated with the LGBTQIA+ community. The investigation is being conducted as a hate crime and remains active.
Police Chief Monica Prieto said the department recognized the incident could cause fear and pain in the community. She described Tucson as a diverse city where people of different backgrounds call home, and stressed the commitment to making every resident feel safe, valued and welcomed.
Peter Loya, a Tucson resident who frequents Venture-N, told the Tucson Sentinel that he had known Siqueiros for about 20 years and was also familiar with Capara, who had been coming to the bar more recently. Loya remembered Siqueiros as a thoughtful, considerate person who always looked for the best in people and was fun to be around. Drew Fellows, a friend of Capara, described him as a “revolutionary” photographer with a people-first mentality, who fought for and believed in a better future for himself, his community and everyone.
Mayor Regina Romero called the shooting “a direct and devastating attack on our LGBTQ+ community” and another senseless act of gun violence. She said the tragedy showed that homophobia remains rampant in the country, and called for smarter policies to prevent mass shootings. Romero added that easy access to firearms and Arizona’s weak gun safety laws continue to put everyone at risk.
The article notes that in June 2016, a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killed 49 people and wounded 58 others – the second-deadliest mass shooting in US history. A 2020 study in Science Advances found that LGBTQ+ people in the US are 2.7 times more likely than cisgender, heterosexual people to be victims of violent crime.
