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On June 1, 2025, in the early afternoon, officers from Operations Division West, Operations Division Midtown, and personnel from the Tucson Fire Department responded to reports of a shooting at an apartment complex located at 201 West Blacklidge Drive. Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive adult male in the parking lot suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers immediately rendered trauma care using their Individual First Aid Kits until Tucson Fire personnel arrived and continued life-saving efforts. Despite these efforts, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was identified as 18-year-old Braden Johnson Begay. The suspect was no longer on scene when officers arrived. Shortly after the initial 911 calls, an additional report was received regarding a male who had arrived at a nearby residence with gunshot trauma. Officers and Tucson Fire personnel responded and located the injured male, who was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives from the Tucson Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded to both locations to continue the investigation. Through interviews with witnesses and evidence collected at the scenes, investigators determined that the injured male was the suspect who had fled from the initial shooting location. The investigation revealed that the suspect had arranged to meet the victim in the parking lot for a narcotics related transaction. During the encounter, a confrontation occurred. Both individuals were armed with handguns, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which both were struck.
Information including scene evidence, witness statements, and surveillance video led investigators to charge 19-year-old Manuel Phillip Navarro with 1st Degree Murder, Narcotic Sales, Possession of a Weapon During a Narcotic Offense, and Armed Robbery. Manuel Navarro was booked into the Pima County Jail where he is currently being held on a $1,000,000 bond. Braden Begay’s family was notified of his passing.
This investigation remains ongoing. Additional information may be released as it becomes available.
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