Two men were arrested in connection to an Aug. 9 shooting at a north-side student apartment complex that left one man dead and a second in critical condition.
Shane Stewart, 19, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of a handgun. The second man, Sean Yacks, 18, has been charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his participation in the incident.
According to the Tucson Police Department, gunshots were fired after a fight broke out at a party just before midnight at Northpointe Student Apartments, 850 E. Wetmore Road.
Shawn Schwartz and Kyle Rhein, both 21, were shot during the fight and transported by Tucson Fire Department paramedics to a hospital. Schwartz was pronounced dead at 3 a.m.
The suspects’ possible gang ties meant that Gang Unit detectives were involved in the investigation.
Northpointe is a student apartment complex, and many residents are current and former UA students.
Ashley Testino, a UA alumna, heard the gunshots while walking to a friend’s apartment.
“”I don’t know what (a gunshot) sounds like,”” Testino said. “”It didn’t click to me until later that what I heard was the gunshot.””
Despite the fact that Testino has lived at Northpointe for almost a year, she said she hasn’t had to deal with violence in the past and won’t let this incident stop her from enjoying her time.
“”I love Northpointe, love the atmosphere,”” Testino said. “”Violence can happen anywhere.””
Northpointe’s atmosphere was also one of the selling points for Weston Westenborg, an undeclared sophomore, who recently moved into an apartment in the complex.
“”It seemed really nice,”” Westenborg said. “”But I started to hear negative things when I got here.””
Westenborg said it’s hard to judge safety and he basically feels safe everywhere in Tucson.
Westenborg isn’t the only student who has heard negative rumors about Northpointe.
“”Northpointe has a reputation for being called ‘gun point,'”” said Danielle Horn, a dance senior and three-year resident of the apartment complex. “”I’ve never encountered any unsafe situations.””
