Tucson Police Recruit Killed in Home Shooting; Suspect Arrested, Another Remains at Large

A recruit days from graduation, shot dead at home

TUCSON, Ariz. — Pima County deputies arrested one suspect Saturday in the shooting death of a Tucson police recruit who was just days away from graduating from the academy, and a manhunt continues for a second suspect, authorities said.

Carlos Ramirez, 23, a former Pima County corrections officer, was found dead inside his Star Valley home early Wednesday morning. His 23-year-old fiancée, who also works as a Pima County corrections officer, was shot and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Ramirez was a member of the Tucson Police Department's Basic Recruit Class 26-1 and was scheduled to graduate from the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center on Aug. 27 — eight days after his death.

One arrested, one still at large

Deputies arrested Santiago Jorge Rogers, 39, at a hotel on South Palo Verde Road in Tucson Saturday morning. He is being held without bond at the county jail, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.

A first-degree murder warrant has been issued for Alex James Barnett, 33, who remains at large. Sheriff Chris Nanos said late Thursday night that Barnett is bald with distinctive arm tattoos and was last seen riding a maroon 2020 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with Arizona license plate DA466, wearing a red shirt and black leather vest.

"He is considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach. Call 911," the sheriff's department warned in an alert sent to area residents' phones.

Barnett has a lengthy criminal record. Arizona Department of Corrections records show he has been sentenced to prison repeatedly since 2010, with 11 of 12 cases from Pima County. His convictions include burglary, theft, identity theft, weapons misconduct, auto theft, child or adult abuse, and solicitation of dangerous drugs. He most recently was released on Nov. 18, 2025, after serving almost a year for unlawful imprisonment, a charge he pleaded guilty to after being originally charged with aggravated assault.

Surveillance video places suspects near the home before the shooting

The Pima County Sheriff's Department released surveillance footage Thursday night showing Barnett and a second unidentified suspect at a Shell gas station at 5405 West Valencia Road near Casino del Sol at about 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, minutes before the shooting.

A second video shows a third unidentified suspect getting out of a gray Acura MDX SUV in a parking lot near South Palo Verde Road and East 33rd Street at about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday. The SUV, which investigators said may be missing its fuel door, was found parked in the same area Thursday.

Officials said the third man identified in the footage was contacted by detectives, but no arrest has been made as investigators work to determine his involvement.

What authorities know

Deputies responded shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday to a report of a shooting in a neighborhood south of Camino Verde and Valencia roads in the Star Valley residential community. They found both victims with gunshot wounds inside the home.

Sheriff Nanos said the couple shared a home and had a young child, who was in the home at the time of the shooting. He said the child was not injured.

The sheriff's department has not said what led to the shooting or whether the victims knew the people detectives are seeking. Officials initially described the suspects as two men wearing black clothing and ski masks.

Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto called Ramirez's death a "tremendous loss" for the community and the department, saying Tucson police were supporting his family, academy classmates and staff while helping the sheriff's department with the investigation.

Tips requested

Anyone with information about the suspects' identities or locations, or any information that might help with the investigation, is asked to call 911 or the sheriff's department's anonymous tip line at 88-CRIME.