A fatal shooting in the parking lot of a Tucson, Arizona, LGBTQ+ bar is being investigated as both a hate crime and a possible double murder-suicide.
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Monday, August 31, when the suspect, 44-year-old Ousman Ceesay, is believed to have gone to Venture-N Bar and argued with two people in the parking lot: Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42, and Cameron Davis Capara, 33.
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The Tucson Police Department (TPD) reported that Ceesay shot and killed Siqueiros and Capara. Ceesay later died at the hospital after police found him at the scene with gunshot wounds. Police also discovered that Ceesay was carrying a note that listed several LGBTQ+-affiliated businesses, leading them to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
“Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community,” said Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto in a statement. “Our investigators are thoroughly examining the evidence and pursuing all available leads as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.”
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Tucson Mayor Regina Romero (D) called the crime “a direct and devastating attack on our LGBTQ+ community” in a video posted to social media.
“Another senseless act of gun violence,” she said, adding that the murders are “another painful reminder that homophobia is still rampant in our country.” She also emphasized the need for better gun control policies and slammed “Arizona’s weak gun safety laws.”
A crowd gathered outside the bar on Monday afternoon to honor the victims and leave flowers, candles, and photos to honor Capara and Siqueiros.
“We can’t be safe even in our own bars,” Venter-N regular Peter Loya told the Tucson Sentinel while attending the vigil. “We have to use that compassion, that strength, to keep going.”
Loya knew Siqueiros well and called him “a thoughtful and considerate person, always looking for the best in people.”
Drew Fellows, a friend of Capara’s, called him a “revolutionary” photographer who always had “a people-first mentality.”
“He always fought for and believed in a better future,” Fellows said, “for himself, for his community and, most importantly, for everybody.”
Many other community leaders released statements decrying the tragedy. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) said she is “disgusted and deeply saddened” and that “this horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly,” she added. “I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Arizona has some of the loosest gun laws in the country. Everytown for Gun Safety scored it 8 out of a possible 100 for gun law strength. Among many other deficits, the state does not require purchase permits or background checks for private, unlicensed firearm sales; has no law mandating firearms be stored in a way that makes it impossible for children to access them; and has no assault style weapons ban.
Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Jen Allen called the murders “senseless and shocking,” adding that the county is typically “a diverse and loving community that embraces the LGBTQIA+ community and values respect, dignity, and inclusion of all people.”
Many others expressed the same sentiment: that Tucson is typically a safe and welcoming place. “This is unbelievable,” Rick Morey Wolfe, secretary of the nonprofit Tucson Queerstory, told the Sentinel. “This is so not Tucson.”
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