A second arrest was made in the shooting that took place early Saturday morning outside a UA fraternity house, UAPD officials said yesterday.
Robert Ramos, 18, and William Edward Morgan, 16, were caught and placed in Pima County Jail. The suspects are being held on $100,000 and $50,000 bonds, respectively.
The incident began with an altercation between Ramos, Morgan and unidentified young males in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, commonly known as Fiji, at the drive-thru of Taco Bell, 1818 E. Speedway Blvd., according to University of Arizona Police Department records.
After the altercation took place, Ramos and his passenger Morgan drove westbound toward the Phi Gamma Delta house and opened fire toward the front of the house.
A group of people was gathered in front of the house, and one UA female freshman, 18, was shot.
The student is in fair condition, according to Jean Spinelli, who is in charge of communications for the hospital taking care of the victim.
Belinda Heiman, an undeclared freshman who was leaving Fiji when the shooting occurred, said she saw students run out of the Alpha Phi sorority house, then a friend from Fiji told her someone was shot.
“”We felt really unsafe that night. The girl who got shot was in my dorm, too,”” Heiman said. “”I can’t believe it has only been two weeks since school started and all this stuff is going on. We felt overwhelmed.””
Officials from the Panhellenic Council, the governing body of sororities, declined to comment on the incident. The council issued a statement to greek chapter presidents, advising members not to comment to media. Attempts to reach the president of Phi Gamma Delta were unsuccessful.
Ramos was arrested shortly after the shooting took place. UAPD has identified him as the driver of the vehicle involved in the shooting. Morgan was arrested by the Tucson Police Department yesterday morning and is identified as the second person in the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.
Both Morgan and Ramos face the same charges: one count of aggravated assault with serious injury involving a deadly instrument, and a second charge of drive-by shooting, Mejia said. Both are second-class felonies.
Immediately following the shootings, a UAPD officer followed the suspect vehicle and was able to pull over Ramos and detain him. Morgan fled the scene by foot. TPD officers searched the area but were unable to find him.
Helicopters and dogs were used in the investigation, but the suspect found a way to escape. He may have escaped the blocked-off area, which made it extremely difficult to find him, Mejia said.
So far, there is no indication the crime was gang-related, but it is still one of the most serious events that have taken place on campus, Mejia said.
Although it is difficult to prevent crimes such as this from taking place, students are advised to call the police before any situation escalates, Mejia said.
“”If the police had been called while the altercation was going on in the parking lot, perhaps we could have prevented the incident from occurring,”” Mejia said. “”We pride ourselves in assisting with the little things that can quickly escalate into something more serious.””
Heiman said she believes UAPD handled the situation well, as she saw helicopters and police patrolling the area.
