The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is searching for three men tied to a Tuesday morning shooting that killed a Tucson police recruit and left his fiancée, a corrections officer, hospitalized with a gunshot wound.
Investigators said an arrest warrant has been issued for Alex James Barnett, 33, who has been named as one of the suspects. As of Friday morning, officials had not publicly released the identities of the other two men being sought.
Surveillance footage made public Thursday night shows at least two additional men dressed in black in separate videos. One was recorded at a gas station at 5405 West Valencia Road at about 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, while another was later seen in a parking lot near South Palo Verde Road and East 33rd Street around 10:50 a.m.
A split image released by authorities shows a surveillance still of an unidentified male suspect on the left and wanted suspect Alex James Barnett, 33, on the right. The images are part of the ongoing manhunt in Tucson, Arizona, after a 23-year-old police recruit was fatally shot and his fiancée, a Pima County corrections officer, was wounded and hospitalized. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
Authorities said the suspected vehicle, a gray Acura MDX SUV, was abandoned in that area and recovered by police on Thursday.
One unidentified suspect appears to have tattoos on his arms and legs, along with short dark hair and a short beard. The person believed to have dropped off the Acura was captured only in low-quality video and appeared to be wearing a sleeveless shirt.
Still images from surveillance video show a man at a Shell gas station at 5405 West Valencia Road in Pima County, Arizona, at around 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. The footage was recorded shortly before deputies responded to a nearby 911 call and found a Tucson police recruit dead and his fiancée, a Pima County corrections officer, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Authorities say this unidentified man is among three suspects they are seeking. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
The victim was identified as 23-year-old Carlos Ramirez, a Tucson police recruit who had been scheduled to graduate from the academy on Aug. 27. He had previously worked as a corrections officer with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
His fiancee, also 23, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Authorities did not immediately release her name.
Pima County investigators are looking to identify this man seen walking away from the suspect vehicle around 10:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
“The Tucson Police Department is deeply saddened by the passing of Carlos Ramirez, a member of Basic Recruit Class 26-1,” a spokesperson told News Outlet. “Carlos was fatally shot early this morning. His fiancée was also injured and is currently receiving medical care. Our thoughts are with Carlos’s family and loved ones, his fiancée, and his classmates, instructors, and academy staff during this difficult time.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously said the suspects were wearing all black clothing and ski masks at the time of the shooting — which happened around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and Tucson Police Chief Monico Prieto deliver a news briefing after a double shooting killed a Tucson police recruit and sent a Pima County corrections officer to the hospital on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. The victims shared a child and multiple suspects were at large, authorities said. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
It happened at Ramirez’s home in the 7700 block of South Enchanted Spring Drive, about 17 miles southwest of Tucson.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 520-88-CRIME.
