Two patrons of a gay bar in Arizona were shot and killed early Monday morning by a Muslim gunman who later died at a hospital, says the Tucson Police Department.
Police are investigating the shooting as a “hate crime” after finding a note and a list allegedly written by the shooter, who was identified as 44-year-old Ousman Ceesay.
‘Throughout our conversations, through the 17 years he spent in the US, he doesn’t talk about that.’
Ceesay shot 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara in the parking lot of the Venture-N bar before he shot himself with a 9mm handgun, police said.
The suspect confronted the victims but never tried to enter the bar.
Police say that a note found on the suspect’s body had a list of other LGBTQIA+ businesses in the area.
Investigators say they also found another note at his house indicating that “he acted alone and that this shooting was a targeted attack motivated by hate toward the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Ceesay was not restricted from owning guns and did not have a prior history with police.
The man did not know the victims before the attack, and he was new to the area, according to the investigation.
Tucson Queerstory, a group organizing a candlelit vigil for the incident, said the shooting has disturbed the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Tucson has long been known for its welcoming environment and strong queer community. To now add another hate crime to that history is heartbreaking and infuriating,” read a statement from the group.
Ceesay was an immigrant from Gambia and a Muslim, according to his family. He came to the U.S. to attend college.
“We don’t talk about those things here, because you hardly see it,” 44-year-old Muhammad Sylva, Ceesay’s cousin, said to the Arizona Daily Star. “Ousman doesn’t have the time to talk about hating people. Throughout our conversations, through the 17 years he spent in the U.S., he doesn’t talk about that.”
Sylva described Ceesay as a practicing Muslim who prayed five times a day but claimed his faith was not “extreme.”
He had also reportedly been suffering financial woes after filing bankruptcy, getting evicted, and separating from his wife. He worked as an Uber driver.
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The families of the victims said they were “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love” from the community, according to Tucson Queerstory.
Police said there was no further threat to the LGBTQIA+ community.
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