One dead, 3 injured in Sierra Vista gang shooting

Marc Anthony Leech, of Sierra Vista, died after the occupants of two vehicles exchanged gunfire in the west parking lot of an apartment complex near East Fry Boulevard in Sierra Vista, which is southeast of Tucson, said Bill Burns, a Sierra Vista Police Department spokesman.

Three other men, two 19 and one 22, were injured in the shooting, which has “definite earmarkings of a gang confrontation,” Burns said.

About 12:30 a.m. Wednesday a security guard at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center reported a male gunshot victim had been brought to the hospital, according to a Sierra Vista Police Department press release.

Police also received reports shots fired and when they arrived at the Mountain View Apartments, 77 El Camino Real, they found more gunshot victims, Burns said.

Two individuals were flown by helicopter to the University Medical Center and are in stable condition. Another was treated at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound after he was grazed in the head by a bullet.

Leech was pronounced dead at the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center. So far, the survivors of the shooting have not cooperated with authorities, Burns said.

It’s unknown how many shots were fired or how many people were involved as the participants scattered after the shooting. None of the victims were innocent bystanders, Burns said.

Investigators believe they recovered the weapon that caused Leech’s death, Burns said. It was found in a nearby dumpster. Another handgun that had been reported stolen was recovered. Detectives haven’t determined a motive for the shooting.

While the shooting appears to be gang-related, Burns stopped short of saying Sierra Vista has an escalating gang problem.

“There is gang violence but it’s hard to say if it’s on the rise” because of the growth in the area, Burns said.