An 18-year-old man is alleged to have used a stolen gun to shoot and kill a Tucson man earlier this week during a gun-sale meetup, court documents show.
At about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 19, Eddie Lopez Jr., 33, left his house to meet Angel Francisco Valenzuela. The two had arranged the time for Valenzuela to buy a handgun from Lopez, an interim complaint says.
After his family heard gunfire outside, they realized Lopez had been shot dead in the front yard, it continues.
When Tucson police arrived, they found shell casings, but the gun Lopez had intended to sell was missing, the complaint says.
Police tracked the phone number Lopez had been contacted from to a TextNow account under Valenzuela's name.
During the process of setting up the sale, Valenzuela had sent a photo of his driver's license, the complaint says.
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After issuing a warrant for Valenzuela's arrest, police tracked him to his residence in Sierra Vista.
While searching Valenzuela's bedroom, police found Lopez's gun, the complaint says.
During questioning, Valenzuela told officers he and another unnamed person had planned in advance to rob Lopez.
After arriving in front of Lopez's house, Valenzuela handed Lopez the money, he told police. While counting the money, Lopez made a remark which Valenzuela perceived as "a slight."
He said he then shot Lopez at least five times, the complaint says.
The gun he used in the shooting, he told police, was one he had stolen the month before.
The earlier incident began on July 19 when Valenzuela and one other person went to a pre-arranged gun-sale meetup at about 1:40 p.m., a separate interim complaint says.
Valenzuela, who was driving, and his passenger stayed in their car during the interaction. After the seller handed the gun to the passenger to inspect it, Valenzuela accelerated and drove off, the complaint says.
When questioned by investigators on Thursday, Valenzuela confirmed he arranged the meetup and had planned to steal the gun. He also said he hid the gun in his house after shooting Lopez, the complaint says.
Valenzuela was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, armed robbery and discharging a firearm within city limits. He was booked into Pima County jail, where he is being held on a $1 million bond.
