Student's death in drug deal baffling

Carlos Sandoval, a popular and extroverted student, was 83 days away from graduation when he was killed.

Carlos, 17, was the ninth child under the age of 18 to be murdered in Pima County last year. That was the highest number of young homicide victims locally in three years.

One in every 10 murder victims in Pima County last year was a child.

Born and raised in Tucson, Carlos Sandoval was a descendant of a pioneer Tucson family - the Oteros - who came to the area in the 18th century and established Tubac. Carlos' father, Steven Sandoval, still has a copy of a land deed the family received from the King of Spain in the 1770s. Another family member was a nun with the Sisters of St. Joseph, who founded St. Mary's and St. Joseph's hospitals in Tucson.

Steven said his son loved Tucson and was committed to becoming fluent in Spanish. He enjoyed the beach in Rocky Point and camping in the mountains. Like his dad, he loved music, and his iPod has an eclectic mixture of songs ranging from smooth jazz to Led Zeppelin.

The eldest of three children, Carlos attended local Catholic schools - St. Joseph's for elementary school, and more recently, Salpointe. Ever sociable, he had friends all over the city and often attended proms and dances with girls from other schools. At 5 feet 11 inches tall with dirty blond hair, green eyes, and a gentle smile, he was never without dates or friends.

"People flocked to him. He had a way of drawing people in," said the Rev. Rick Zamorano, a Salpointe teacher. "I like to think I'm a good judge of character and I always found him to be a nice, kind, polite kid, a very positive person."

Along with siblings Steven, 14, and Marina, 9, Carlos alternated living between the homes of his parents, who had divorced a few years ago. And he helped his dad coach his younger siblings' sports teams.

Until his sophomore year at Salpointe, he had been heavily involved in sports, and had played on the school's baseball team. As a youngster he also played basketball, volleyball and ran track. Carlos' mother, Caryl, is a special-education teacher and Carlos often did volunteer work with her students, too.

"He was very kind with his brother and sister. He's the one who taught his brother how to read," Steven said. "Every time we had a family event he'd hug his grandma, and everyone, and tell them how much he loved them."

Steven says Carlos was always well-regarded by his teachers and earned excellent grades. Among the schools that had already given him favorable responses were Dartmouth, Marymount and the University of Arizona, his family said.

Though he used to talk about being a lawyer like his dad, more recently he was leaning toward majoring in business. Since last summer he'd been excelling as a salesperson for Cutco knives.

When his friends got new cellphones and iPods, they'd often give Carlos their old ones, knowing he would be able to sell them at a good price, his father said. He also did yard work to earn money.

"He was very good with people," his father said.

The week before Christmas, Carlos went to a Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac and lit a candle for the Virgin Mary. On Christmas Eve he attended the children's Mass at St. Joseph's with his father, grandmother Clara Sandoval and his brother and sister. Two weeks later, about 1,400 people crowded the worship space at that same church for Carlos' funeral.

His parents were stunned when they heard details of the slaying.

The death remains under investigation, but officials with the Pima County Sheriff's Department say it appears to have involved a drug deal that went terribly wrong. Officials say Carlos was selling a pound of marijuana for money the purported buyers didn't have. They robbed and shot him, and then their car broke down on the way out of the Forty Niner Country Club subdivision, where the planned sale was to take place. Sheriff's officials made five arrests in the case.

All the suspects arrested are between the ages of 17 and 20 - four males and one female. None was from Salpointe.

Since his death, Salpointe has held meetings and prayers for students. Officials opened the school on New Year's Day to provide counseling and support for students, particularly the 300 teens who are members of the Salpointe senior class.

At the time of Carlos' death, the Salpointe class of 2012 was still recovering from another tragedy - losing a classmate to suicide in the summer of 2011.

"You've got to help us. I can't read minds. ... Work with us. This will save lives," Salpointe principal Sister Helen Timothy implored parents and students at a meeting about drug safety held Tuesday night.

Timothy and other school officials took a hard line with the students and parents, saying that if anyone who knew Carlos had been selling drugs had come forward with the information, he could still be alive. There is no evidence that Carlos was using drugs, sheriff's officials say.

The school randomly drug-tests students, and uses drug-, weapon- and alcohol-sniffing dogs on campus.

Steven Sandoval spoke to his son's classmates at a special assembly Jan. 13.

"I spoke about the importance of taking responsibility for themselves, for respecting themselves," Steven said. "You are heading to college. You need to take responsibility, make good choices, watch out for others. Kids are afraid, but this can't happen again. I lost everything."

Carlos already has a legacy at his school - his slaying prompted Salpointe officials to set up an anonymous tip line called "Hear Something, Say Something" for kids to call when they think a fellow student is in a dangerous situation.

Be your brother's keeper, your sister's keeper, the students and their parents were told. Don't be afraid to be a "cheese eater" - a rat - if it means getting someone the help they need.

Since the slaying happened during the holidays, when many people were off work or out of town, Steven and Caryl still find themselves breaking the news to people who don't know Carlos has died. On a recent Friday when Steven stopped by his law office, he told the UPS delivery person who knocked on the locked door with a delivery. The delivery man had heard about the New Year's Eve slaying, but he'd had no idea it was Steven's son. They hugged. Steven cried.

Carlos would have turned 18 on April 30. "I wanted to take him on a small cruise, like three or four nights," Steven said. "Carlos' cousin is the same age and is graduating from Tucson High. I thought it could be a celebration for both of them.

"Of course, that's not going to happen now."

On StarNet: If you want to know more about crime in Tucson, check out the StarNet Police Beat blog at go.azstarnet.com/policebeat

Children slain in Pima County in 2011

1. Christina-Taylor Green, 9, was shot in the back Jan. 8 while waiting in line to meet U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a northwest-side Safeway.

2. Jesus Salvador Nuñez Acosta, 17, a Mexican laborer, was shot in the back in early 2011 on the Tohono O'odham Reservation.

3. Jacob Lee Wilkins, 15, was shot Feb. 14 on the southwest side. He died on Feb. 28.

4. Angel Diaz, 7 months, suffocated to death in his home on the south side, on Feb. 17.

5. Austin Wayne Maudsley, 16, was stabbed to death in Marana March 11.

6. Britnee Lavetta Monique Wright, 16, was shot to death April 1 on the east side.

7. Johnathan Federico, 7, was shot to death April 9 at a midtown apartment.

8. Ignacia Rae Aranda, 17, was stabbed to death Aug. 9 at her boyfriend's midtown apartment.

9. Carlos Joseph Sandoval, 17, shot to death Dec. 31 at a home on the east side.

Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at sinnes@azstarnet.com or 573-4134