Third person in custody in connection to Tucson police recruit’s murder

A third person is now in custody in connection with the fatal shooting of Tucson Police Department recruit Carlos Ramirez, adding a significant development to an investigation that began at a home south of Valencia Road and quickly involved law enforcement agencies across Southern Arizona. Alexis Monter, 30, was detained Aug. 30 at the Port of Douglas while trying to enter the United States from Mexico. Authorities have identified him as a person of interest, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said he is believed to be the last person of interest in the case.

The arrest took place after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers checking Monter’s information found an active National Crime Information Center warrant. CBP said the warrant linked Monter to the shooting investigation and instructed officers to consider him armed and dangerous. The agency also said Monter has a history of violence and substance abuse. Douglas police responded to the port and took him into custody. CBP identified Monter as a U.S. citizen who was attempting to return to the country through the pedestrian lane.

The sheriff’s department has also said Monter is believed to have been the last registered owner of an Acura MDX investigators think was involved in the shooting. That detail connects him to a vehicle that may be important to determining how the suspects arrived at or left the scene. Monter’s arrest does not mean authorities have publicly established his role in Ramirez’s death. He remains described as a person of interest in the homicide investigation.

Ramirez, 23, was found dead inside a home on Enchanted Spring Drive around 6 a.m. Aug. 19, after someone at the residence called 911. Deputies also found Ramirez’s 23-year-old fiancée suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a nearby hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. The woman, whose name has not been released in the provided information, works as a corrections officer for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Ramirez was a Tucson police recruit and had previously worked as a corrections officer for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. His death affected two local public safety agencies and drew a major response from investigators, fugitive officers and tactical teams. Officials have described the incident as a home invasion, but the information released so far has not explained what led to the shooting or why Ramirez and his fiancée were targeted.

Monter is the third suspect authorities have identified and apprehended in connection with the case. Santiago Jorge Rogers, 39, was arrested after deputies and FBI agents served a search warrant at a hotel near Palo Verde Road and Interstate 10. The arrest was reported in connection with a first-degree murder warrant. Alex James Barnett, 33, was also wanted in the investigation and became the subject of a Blue Alert issued by law enforcement on Aug. 20, the day after the shooting.

Barnett was taken into custody Aug. 24 during a Pima County Regional SWAT Team operation near Broadway Boulevard and Camino Seco. Authorities said he surrendered after a three-hour standoff at an apartment complex. He was booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. Rogers was arrested by a combined operation involving the Pima County Sheriff’s Department Fugitive Investigations Unit, the FBI and other law enforcement personnel. Reports placed that arrest during a search warrant operation in the early hours of Aug. 22 or on Aug. 23.

The sheriff’s department previously announced that another person wanted for questioning had been located, but that individual had not been arrested while investigators continued assessing the person’s possible involvement. With Monter now detained, officials believe they have located the final person of interest connected to the investigation. Authorities have not announced a complete account of the evidence against each suspect, nor have they explained whether additional arrests or charges are expected.

The case has involved local deputies, Tucson police, federal investigators, the regional SWAT team, fugitive investigators, Douglas police and CBP officers at the international border. CBP Port Director Martin Gomez said the Douglas officers’ identification and detention of Monter removed what the agency described as a dangerous subject from the streets. For Tucson residents, the investigation remains closely tied to the local public safety community, because Ramirez was preparing to join Tucson’s police force and his fiancée works for the county corrections system. The homicide investigation continues as prosecutors and investigators determine the roles, if any, played by Monter, Rogers and Barnett.