Two people have been shot dead outside an LGBTQ+ bar in the US city of Tucson, Arizona, in what police believe may have been a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
According to local media, Ousman Ceesay, 44, confronted two men in the parking lot of the Venture-N bar in the early hours of Monday morning, fatally shooting them.
The victims have been named as Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42, and Cameron Davis Capara, 33.
Their attacker, Ceesay, was reported to have died in hospital, apparently after also shooting himself.
He was found with a note listing several LGBTQ+ businesses in the area, adding to suspicions that the murders were anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.
“Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community,” said Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto in a statement.
“Our investigators are thoroughly examining the evidence and pursuing all available leads as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.”
Officials condemn suspected hate crime
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero described the attack as “a direct and devastating attack on our LGBTQ+ community” and “another senseless act of gun violence”.
“Tucson Police Department Investigators confirmed that the suspect possessed addresses for multiple LGBTQ+ friendly venues, intending to cause more harm,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Romero said that the tragedy “serves as yet another painful reminder that homophobia is still rampant in our country” and called for measures to combat shootings.
Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, said the LGBTQ+ rights organisation was “heartbroken” at the news and expressed her support for Siqueiros and Capara’s families, their loved ones and the Tucson LGBTQ+ community.
“Learning the gunman was targeting LGBTQ+ friendly businesses is both chilling and enraging, and yet another dangerous example of the hate and bigotry that makes all Americans less safe,” she added.
A vigil to remember Siqueiros and Capara was planned for Wednesday, with security provided by the Tucson Police Department.
