A Muslim man shot and killed a pro-Palestinian photographer and his friend as they were leaving an Arizona gay bar before turning the gun on himself in what cops say was a hate crime.
Ousman Ceesay unleashed the violence in Tucson around 12:30 a.m. Monday — targeting two men he did not know, Tucson Police confirmed.
Cameron Davis Capara, 33, and Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42, were in the parking lot of Venture-N when they were confronted and then shot by Ceesay, according to cops.
Ceesay, 44, then shot himself with a 9mm handgun.
The gunman was carrying a note with a list of other gay-friendly businesses in the area, but cops said he never tried to enter the bar near where he committed the heinous crime.
A second note in his home found by detectives “indicated he acted alone and that this shooting was a targeted attack motivated by hate toward the LGBTQIA+ community,” the department said.
Ceesay, originally from The Gambia in West Africa, had no prior contacts with the police department and had only just moved to the area from Oklahoma City in December, the Arizona Daily Star reported, citing sources.
He and his wife were facing money troubles after racking up more than $76,000 in debt that forced them to declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2018, according to the outlet.
Ceesay previously worked as an Uber driver and was a practicing Muslim who prayed five times a day, his cousin told the Arizona Daily Star.
The victims were remembered at a vigil this week as caring and joyful, AZPM reported.
Capara was a photographer who spent years documenting LGBTQ nightlife, campus demonstrations, rallies over Gaza and protests against ICE.
“He cared deeply about people in Tucson or those thousands of miles away. People who were marginalized, overlooked, or misunderstood,” said his father, Jeff Capara.
“One of the things I admired most about him was that he didn’t judge people. He believed that everyone had their own story, their own struggles, and their own reasons for being who they were.
“He wanted people to have the freedom to simply be themselves without being judged for it. And in the same way, he didn’t want to be judged himself. He wanted to be accepted for who he was.”
Siqueiros’ sister, Kate Marquez, said her brother made an eerie statement about his legacy in their last phone call before his death.
“At one point, Vincent wondered aloud, ‘If something happened to me, who would actually be there?’ That was six days ago,” she said at a memorial for her brother and Capara.
“Vincent, look who’s here. Tonight, thousands of people have answered my little brother’s question. And I wish more than anything he could stand here where I’m standing and see this for himself.”
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