A man accused of murder in a shooting at a midtown apartment complex Wednesday is the brother of a man killed there in February, police said.
Christopher Heiss-Richardson, 21, was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, said Sgt. Pete Dugan late Wednesday night.
Jamie Kogut, 43, was fatally shot at about 12:30 p.m. while in a work van at the Sycamore Creek Apartments at 1901 N. Wilmot Road, Dugan said.
Officers responded to the apartment complex, located in a neighborhood south of East Grant Road and west of East Tanque Verde Road, shortly after Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived.
Dugan said a man was driving in the complex parking lot and saw a man, later identified as Kogut, who appeared in distress sitting in the van. The man went to offer aid and saw that Kogut appeared to be shot.
As he was rendering aid, a woman driving in the parking lot also stopped to help. Both pulled Kogut out of the van and gave aid and called 911. Tucson Fire paramedics took over treating Kogut, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, said Dugan.
As officers began their initial investigation, a 911 caller who identified himself as Heiss-Richardson told police that he had just been involved in an altercation with Kogut at the complex on Wilmot.
Officers responded to a residence in the 4500 block of South Mission Road and detained Heiss-Richardson for questioning, said Dugan.
Homicide detectives learned after interviewing Heiss-Richardson that he was the brother of Edward A. McGuire, 22, who was fatally shot Feb. 12 at the same apartment complex on Wilmot, Dugan said.
McGuire was a passenger in a vehicle with two other friends. When the vehicle pulled into the complex, there was an altercation between those in McGuire's vehicle and people in another vehicle, said Dugan. During the altercation, shots were fired and McGuire was struck. People in the other vehicle involved in the shooting left before police arrived.
On Wednesday, Heiss-Richardson was at the complex putting up fliers in an attempt to get information about his brother's slaying, said Dugan. He said Heiss-Richardson contacted Kogut, who lived at the complex, because he said he knew that Kogut was with his brother, McGuire, the night McGuire was killed.
Dugan said Heiss-Richardson and Kogut talked and then left in separate vehicles. Before exiting the parking lot, the two men were involved in a confrontation, which led to Kogut's slaying, said Dugan. Β
Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding both fatal shootings call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tipster hotline.
