Enrique Mercado would do anything for his family and friends, as long as it wasn’t on Tuesday nights.
Those nights were dedicated to Mercado’s other love: biking.
Mercado — also known as Kix Merc on social media — would join other community cyclists for the Tuesday Night Ride, meeting with dozens of other enthusiasts at 8:30 p.m. sharp, rain or shine.
The group, usually swelling to dozens of cyclists, would then ride across town, enjoying each other’s company and, of course, listening to Mercado rap along to the songs playing on his bicycle’s speaker.
On Tuesday night, Mercado, 44, was on such a group ride traversing a portion of The Chuck Huckelberry Loop behind the Walmart shopping center along East Wetmore Road when he was stabbed.
He died later at the hospital.
Tucson police have given sparse information on what happened.
Police say the stabbing occurred about 9:15 p.m. along the loop, between North Stone and North First avenues, following a confrontation.
A cyclist rides along the Diamond Street Cycling Loop, near East Wetmore Road and North First Avenue as a Tucson Police Department cruiser drives through the area to clear out people on Sept. 24, 2025. Another cyclist riding along The Loop Tuesday night was fatally stabbed about 9:15 p.m., authorities say.
No motive or suspect had been identified as of late Wednesday afternoon.
In fact, the police had not yet identified Mercado as the victim.
They said they believe several people witnessed the incident and urged them to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line.
“When we broke the news to my little brother, we had to start with, you know how daddy goes on his Tuesday night bike ride?” Paris Beniquez Mercado, his daughter, said Wednesday.
The Tuesday night rides were one of the many things her dad loved, she said.
He loved rap music, she said, often rapping the lyrics to 50 Cent songs together.
He even blared his bass-heavy music while picking her up from school.
He also loved being a father.
No matter what Paris needed, Mercado said, her father showed up.
Whether it was teaching her to stand up for herself or helping her move heavy, wooden furniture in the Tucson heat, Mercado said her dad did it with a smile on his face.
“He was the coolest dude ever,” were the first words from Paris Mercado when asked about her father.
In fact, ‘cool’ was used to describe Mercado all over social media.
You get to see his cool tendencies firsthand in a video posted on the Facebook page.
On the night he died, Mercado is seen doing wheelies on his bike, smiling big at the camera as he’s surrounded by other riders and, you guessed it, his music playing in the background.
Enrique Mercado.
“He was always blasting music, and having a really good time,” said Joslyn Aguilar, a frequent rider in the cycling group.
She once crashed into him during one of their rides, Aguilar said. Without hesitation, Mercado stopped and made sure she was okay, giving her a hug after their accident.
“He was really sweet,” Aguilar said.
Paris Mercado said the rides were important to her father since she was a young girl.
Mercado loved riding his bike but was even more passionate about making sure the city was safe for his fellow cyclists. He helped out at Torca, Tucson Off-Road Cyclists and Activists, where he would clean up and preserve bike trails.
Enrique Mercado, with the black cap, poses witith his children, Paris, Anthony and Jordan.
“I recently remember him complaining about the homeless people, saying some were dangerous and left their needles out in the road,” Paris Mercado said.
She even remembers him warning her to change her cycling routes, saying they were becoming riskier.
While Aguilar was not there the night of the incident, she said riding her bike through that area of The Loop is tough to navigate. She tries her best to not disrupt the homeless people in the area while dodging trash and glass bottles that are scattered on the ground.
“I’m sure its not the first time this has happened,” Aguilar said. “If the city to going to advertise that its great for cycling, they have to mean it and safety needs to be a priority.”
Paris said her dad’s untimely death was ironic, saying this was one of his biggest pet peeves.
She said she hopes this incident serves as a wake-up call for the city.
“I just really hope that this makes the city do something,” Paris said. “My dad shouldn’t have died.”
