lights and siren

One man was killed and another injured in an overnight shooting at a house party near the University of Arizona campus, officials said.

About about 1 a.m. Saturday, police went to the 1600 block of North Highland Avenue, near East Speedway Boulevard, for reports of a shooting, Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman, said in a news release.

When they arrived, officers found two male victims with gunshot wounds outside of a residence, Dugan said.

Paramedics treated both men before transporting them to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, but several hours later, one of the men succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased, Dugan said.

Police have identified him as 25-year-old Peter Ortiz.

The second victim is in stable condition with injuries that now appear to be not life-threatening, Dugan said.

Detectives with the gang unit took over the investigation and have learned that shortly before 1 a.m., a group of four men arrived at a large house party and tried to get inside, despite the fact that they hadn't been invited, Dugan said.

They were told they weren't welcome and an argument broke out between the four men and partygoers, during which the uninvited men fired several gunshots into the air before firing at partygoers, Dugan said.

The two men who were shot were guests at the party, Dugan said.

The four uninvited men fled the scene. Based on information collected from partygoers, the suspects are believed to be gang-affiliated, Dugan said.

No suspects are in custody and the case is an active investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call 88-CRIME, an anonymous tipster hotline.

Police will release additional details as they become available.


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Contact reporter Caitlin Schmidt at cschmidt@tucson.com or 573-4191