Venture-N murder-suicide was anti-gay hate crime; 2 killed before gunman shot himself

Two men were killed outside Tucson’s Venture-N early Monday morning, while the shooter died at a nearby hospital. Police are investigating the murder-suicide as a hate crime.

Authorities say Ousman Ceesay, 44, fatally shot two men at the business at 1239 North 6th Ave. shortly after midnight.

Ceesay confronted the men in the longtime gay bar’s parking lot before shooting them, and then himself, authorities said.

The two victims, 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Ceesay was found suffering from gunshot wounds and taken to a local hospital, where he died soon after.

Tucson police said they found a note on Ceesay with several LGBTQ-associated businesses written on it.

“Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community. Our investigators are thoroughly examining the evidence and pursuing all available leads as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident,” said Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto in a news release.

About two dozen people were gathered outside the bar Monday afternoon. Several hugged each other and cried. Some added to a makeshift memorial beside the doorway, made up of framed photos of Siqueiros and Capara surrounded by flowers and lit candles.

Peter Loya, another Venture-N regular, said he knew the men and enjoyed being around both of them. Capara was newer to the bar, he said, but he had known Siqueiros for about two decades.

“He’s always just been a thoughtful, considerate person, always looking for the best in people,” Loya said of Siqueiros. “You could always have fun with him.”

Drew Fellows, who called Capara a friend for three years, said he was a “revolutionary” photographer who was passionate about his craft and other people.

“He was always with a people-first mentality,” Fellows said. “He always fought for and believed in a better future, for himself, for his community and, most importantly, for everybody.”

Loya was angry after the shooting, he said, speaking near the memorial set up outside the business, but it shows how much pride is still needed and that the fight for equity for LGBTQ people is far from over.

“We can’t be safe even in our own bars,” he said. “We have to use that compassion, that strength, to keep going.”

He added that nobody in the Venture-N knew who the shooter was.

TPD’s Prieto said that there was no known active threat against the public as of Monday afternoon, but TPD increased its presence around LGBTQ businesses.

“We recognize this incident may cause within our community,” the chief said. “Tucson is, and always has been, a diverse community where people of different backgrounds, identities and experiences call this city home. We are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels safe, valued and welcomed.”

Mayor Regina Romero, in a video posted to social media, called the shooting a “direct and senseless attack” against Tucson’s LGBTQ community.

She said the note found in Ceesay’s possession listed the businesses’ addresses and indicated he intended to cause more harm.

“This tragedy serves as yet another painful reminder that homophobia is still rampant in our country,” the mayor said.

Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen said “the murders of two patrons of the Venture N bar early this morning were senseless and shocking.”

“The Venture-N is a quiet neighborhood bar whose clientele are mostly gay men. Pima County is a diverse and loving community that embraces the LGBTQIA+ community and values respect, dignity, and inclusion of all people,” said the chair of the county board in a news release. “I am certain the compassionate people of Pima County will show our love and support to the friends and family of the murdered, to the patrons of the Venture-N, and to all those who may be feeling fearful from this hateful crime. There is no place for hate in Pima County.”

‘This is so not Tucson’

The Venture-N is one of the few LGBTQ bars that remain in Tucson, which have shuttered largely due to increasing acceptance of openly queer people in public spaces and a nationwide decline in alcohol consumption.

The bar has been open since at least the 1980s and now serves as a weekly meeting spot for gay men’s group, Bears of the Old Pueblo.

Rick Morey-Wolfe, the secretary of Tucson Queerstory, a local nonprofit that archives the region’s LGBTQ history, noted Monday
that Tucson Pride was started after a hate crime: the 1976 murder of
Richard Heakin outside the Stonewall Inn.

Only one other known
fatal LGBTQ hate crime has happened here since, he added. Philip
Walsted, a local airline reservation agent, was killed in Tucson in
2002.

Over the decades, he added, Tucson has been largely a safe place for LGBTQ members of the community.

“This is unbelievable. This is so not Tucson,” he said, standing outside the bar.

Queerstory President Randy Pease, also speaking outside the bar where he’s a regular, said the number of hate crimes has risen in recent years. That’s happening as some elected leaders are pushing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, he said.

“I’ve been kind of numb all day,” he said. “When someone in the community is murdered through hate, it affects us all.”

One Venture-N regular previously told the Tucson Sentinel he’d been coming to the bar since 1982, and described it as a safe and accepting place to be.

Tucson Ward 1 City Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz echoed his sentiment in a written statement Monday, describing Venture-N as “beloved.”

“My heart goes out to the victims’ loves ones, to the entire Venture-N staff, customers and neighborhood grieving right now,” Santa Cruz wrote.

Romero also called for stronger gun safety laws in Arizona. Santa Cruz added that LGBTQ people are disproportionately affected by gun violence.

“The toll is devastating,” Santa Cruz wrote. “Queer spaces are where people build chosen family, celebrate, gather and belong.”

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said “No one should fear being targeted simply because of who they are and where they gather. I speak in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community.”

“At this point, the shooting appears to be a tragic and isolated incident, and because all known suspects are deceased, there will likely be no prosecution to follow. Nevertheless, we have full confidence that the Tucson Police Department will thoroughly investigate what appears to be a hate-fueled attack,” Conover said.

She encouraged anyone affected by the Monday shooting to call the Pima County Attorney’s Office’s Victim Services division at 520-724-5525.

Police urge anyone with information about the shooting to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the latter of which allows tipsters to stay anonymous.

Tucson Queerstory will host a candlelight vigil on at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Philip Walsted Memorial at Catalina Park.

Loya described his fellow Venture-N regulars as family. It’s not a question for him whether he will come back.

“Venture-N is a safe community for everyone,” he said. “I can’t just stay home and be afraid.”