Arizona investigators are searching for multiple suspects after an early morning shooting killed a 23-year-old Tucson police recruit and left his 23-year-old romantic partner, a Pima County corrections officer, hospitalized with a gunshot wound, authorities said.
A Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson told News Outlet that deputies are looking for several suspects described as Hispanic males dressed in all black and wearing ski masks. Investigators said they may have been traveling in a gray Acura MDX with a possible missing gas cap door.
Officials first referred to the pair as husband and wife, but later clarified that they were engaged. Sheriff Chris Nanos said the couple shared a child.
“This is a pretty sad day for law enforcement, today,” Nanos told reporters during a news briefing at the scene Wednesday.
Authorities said the suspect vehicle is believed to be a gray Acura MDX, model year 2007 to 2013, possibly missing the door covering the gas cap. Two male suspects were described as Hispanic and wearing all black clothing with ski masks. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
Deputies were first called around 6 a.m. to a home in the 7700 block of South Enchanted Spring Drive, roughly 17 miles southwest of Tucson.
When deputies arrived, they found the male victim dead. He was later identified as Tucson Police Department recruit Carlos Ramirez. The female victim was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, the sheriff said.
Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto urged anyone with information about the shooting to call 911.
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)
Prieto called it both a “tragic event and tremendous loss for…our community, this city and our department.”
Authorities have described the suspect vehicle as a gray Acura MDX from between 2007 and 2013. The door over the gas cap may be missing. Two male suspects described as Hispanic, wearing all black with ski masks. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)
Nanos said during a news briefing he expected to be briefed by detectives when more information is available.
A PCSD spokesperson said the shootings are not believed to be connected to the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, which took place on the other side of town — at her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills on Feb. 1.
This is a developing story.
