2 more teens arrested in fatal shooting of UArizona student
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Two additional teenagers have been arrested in the Feb. 20 shooting death of a University of Arizona student, a “very random act of violence” resulting from an encounter in a campus parking garage, police officials Saturday.
The two youths arrested Friday and one arrested Thursday are all 17 years old and are not university students, police said.
The three youths were all arrested and jailed on suspicion of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting in the killing of Forrest Keys, police said.
The Associated Press generally does not identify juvenile criminal suspects.
Keys, 20, was a sophomore from Philadelphia majoring in communications.
University Police Chief Brian Seastone said during a news conference the killing was a “very random act of violence.”
“I wish we could put a magic boundary around our campus and around our city but we can’t do that,” Seastone said.
According to police, Keys was walking home with friends at about 11 p.m. when a verbal altercation took place between him and people riding in a car.
The incident began when at least one person in the car taunted Keys and his companions, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said.
“Mr. Keys responded and the vehicle turned around,” Magnus said. “Mr. Keys then approached the vehicle, exchanged words through an open window and punched a passenger once.”
Keyes was then shot several times at close range, the police chief said.
The youth arrested Thursday was believed to be the car’s driver and one of the two arrested Friday was believed to be the shooter and the third person’s “actions contributed to the shooting,” Magnus said.
Magnus said police hoped the arrests would provide some comfort to Keys’ family and friends.
“Look, there is no good ending to a homicide because there is no way to bring a victim back but we are dedicated to bringing the suspects in this case to justice,” he said.
Keys was “a true leader and a charismatic figure on our campus,” university President Robert Robbins said. “This has been a very devastating week ... with the loss of a very beautiful young man.”
Police said their investigation continued. They said they were still looking for the car as well as individuals who might have been involved or have information.
Online court records didn’t indicate whether the three arrested teens had defense lawyers who could comment on their behalf.
