A U.S. citizen wanted as a "person of interest" in connection with the shooting of a Tucson police recruit was arrested at the Douglas Port of Entry on Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday.
Alexis Monter, 30, "is believed to be the last registered owner of the Acura MDX that is believed to be involved in the shooting" of Tucson police recruit Carlos Ramirez on Aug. 19, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday. The sheriff's department gave no other updates and said the investigation continues.
CBP said Monter tried to enter the United States through the pedestrian lane at the Douglas port at about 8 p.m. Sunday. During the inspection process, a CBP officer found that he was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and there was a National Crime Information Center warrant for his arrest.
The warrant identified Monter as a person of interest in the Ramirez case and said he had a "history of violent tendencies and substance abuse."
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A subsequent 10-print biometric verification confirmed Monter's identity and CBP officers coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration and notified the Douglas Police Department, the news release said. Douglas police took custody of Monter at the Port of Entry.
Two suspects were previously arrested and face first-degree murder and armed robbery charges in the Ramirez shooting: Alex James Barnett, 33, and Santiago Jorge Rogers, 39.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and court records have said Barnett and Rogers had no known connection to Ramirez or his fiancée, who was shot and injured at the same time Ramirez was killed in their home on the Tucson area's far southwest side.
Nanos previously told the Star the investigation indicates it was an attempted drug ripoff but that the suspects mistakenly targeted the wrong home.
Ramirez, 23, was fighting armed intruders at the home he shared with his pregnant fiancée, also 23, and their child when he was shot and killed at about 6 a.m. Aug 19, court records say.
The records also say footage showed the SUV linked to the shooting was parked near the couple's home hours before the incident occurred, between 3:50 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Surveillance footage also showed the car, a gray Acura MDX, leaving southbound after the shooting, the records say. Investigators later found the SUV in a parking lot.
Court records show Monter was sentenced to prison in Maricopa County on charges of attempted narcotics drug violation and aggravated assault. He was released on June 11 this year, records show.
Barnett and Rogers both have long felony criminal records.
"The vigilance of our officers at the Douglas Port of Entry is critical to the safety of our communities," Port Director Martin Gomez said in a news release. "By identifying and apprehending this individual, our officers have ensured that a dangerous subject is removed from the streets and held accountable for his alleged actions."
Carlos Ramirez, 23, was shot and killed in his Tucson home Aug. 19.
