Tucson police have arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with a shooting death outside a midtown strip club early Wednesday, the second homicide outside the business in the last three months.
Cliffton Martinez, 28, was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Angel A. Martinez, said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. It was not immediately known if the victim and the suspect were related.
Angel Martinez suffered a fatal gunshot wound at 1:17 a.m. after getting into a fight outside The Candy Store, 1104 S. Craycroft Road.
Angel Martinez had been inside the club — which is only open to people 21 and older — talking with at least two other men when he stepped outside and was confronted by two or three men, Pacheco said. Angel Martinez got into an altercation with one man, then Cliffton Martinez pulled out a gun and shot Angel Martinez, Pacheco said.
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Martinez was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m., Pacheco said.
Tucson gang detectives handled the investigation because Cliffton Martinez and the other suspects were believed to be active gang members, Pacheco said.
A homicide at the Candy Store in late July closely mirrored Wednesday’s slaying in terms of its circumstances, though the two aren’t related, Pacheco said.
David H. Tyne, 31, was shot and killed outside The Candy Store on July 30.
“It was almost a blueprint of that one,” Pacheco said.
Tucson police arrested 28-year-old Andre Lightsey-Copeland on Aug. 12 in connection with the Tyne slaying.
The Candy Store has been the subject of numerous allegations of prostitution occurring within the club, though no arrests have been made, Pacheco said.
The club was also the site of a botched issuance of citations by Tucson police July 16 against 32 exotic dancers for not having the proper adult entertainment license. Those citations were dismissed less than a week later after it was determined the licenses were only needed for employees at all-nude clubs.
Because Angel Martinez was underage his death is expected to be investigated by the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, an official said.
“We will be looking into this one,” said Sgt. Wes Kuhl, of the state liquor board. “If the victim was under 21, that in itself is a violation for that kid to be in there.”
Kuhl said The Candy Store’s last violation for underage drinking was in 2005, but earlier this year the liquor board investigated another complaint but found no evidence of underage drinking.
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