Two people were killed in a shooting carried out in Tucson, Arizona, where a gunman targeted a known LGBTQ+ bar. As the investigation is underway, police stated that the attack was likely motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ hate.

On Monday, August 31, police officers were called shortly after midnight to Venture-N, an LGBTQ+ bar in Tucson. They found two people, Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, aged 42, and Cameron Davis Capara, aged 33, fatally shot in the bar’s parking lot. Both victims died at the scene.

Police later identified the alleged gunman as Ousman Ceesay, a 44-year-old who had recently moved to Tucson. The suspect was also found with gunshot wounds and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to authorities, the gunman carried a note listing several local LGBTQ+ businesses. Moreover, after a search of Ceesay’s home, police uncovered further evidence suggesting that the shooting was a targeted attack “motivated by hate toward the LGBTQ+ community”.

While the investigation is still ongoing, officers said there is no further known threat to the community, as investigators also found evidence that the suspect acted alone. However, the department has increased surveillance around LGBTQ+ friendly venues in the area.

Chief of Police Monica Prieto spoke about the attack, saying: “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.

“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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Mayor of Tucson, Regina Romero, also condemned the shooting, saying that it was a “direct and devastating attack on our LGBTQ+ community, another senseless act of gun violence.”

Romero added that the attack “serves as another painful reminder that homophobia is still rampant in our country.”

The shooting at the Arizona bar left members of the LGBTQ+ community shaken after other recent fatal incidents such as July’s Berlin Pride attack and the 2022 shooting at a nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. People brought flowers, candles and photos outside the bar to commemorate the lives lost to such violence.

“Venture-N has been a safe haven, a sanctuary, and a place of comfort for Tucson’s queer community for decades,” LGBTQ+ organisation PFLAG Phoenix wrote in a social media post. “This tragedy is a heavy and painful reminder of the homophobia and hate that still exists.”

A candlelight vigil to honour the two people who were killed has been organised on Wednesday, September 2.