Julio Cesar Aguirre, a 42-year-old Mexican national, has been charged with attempted carjacking, use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and being an alien in possession of a firearm. The charges follow the fatal shooting of a male driver during an attempted carjacking in Tucson, Arizona.
According to the complaint filed on July 2, Aguirre allegedly shot the victim with a 9mm handgun while trying to steal his Toyota Tundra on June 30. Tucson Police Department (TPD) officers responded to the scene and were later directed to investigate a potential burglary nearby. Residents reported that a Hispanic male matching Aguirre’s description had entered their backyard with a bleeding arm and threatened them at gunpoint for their vehicle before fleeing.
Officers found Aguirre hiding in a storage shed nearby, along with a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol within reach. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Aguirre’s record indicates he is illegally present in the United States and has been arrested over ten times for immigration-related offenses between 2007 and 2013. He was last deported from the U.S. under court order in 2013.
The federal prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and violent crime through coordinated efforts by the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The investigation is being conducted by TPD and the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is prosecuting the federal charges, while TPD and Pima County Attorney’s Office will continue investigating additional state felony charges, including homicide.
It is important to note that criminal complaints are formal accusations of wrongdoing; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
