TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A deadly hit-and-run on Tucson’s south side is now being investigated as a homicide after a man was charged with second-degree murder, according to a release from the Tucson Police Department.
24-year-old Jesus Edward Manuel Sierra has been charged after he allegedly hit 43-year-old Cesar Francisco Gutierrez, who was walking his bike.
Witnesses and roadway evidence led investigators to believe the vehicle had deliberately targeted him.
On Tuesday, March 18, at approximately 4:15 p.m., officers responded to reports of a collision involving a pedestrian in the 7200 block of South San Fernando Avenue.
Police say the vehicle involved fled the scene without stopping.
Emergency crews from the Tucson Fire Department arrived and transported Gutierrez to Banner University Medical Center. Gutierrez was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
During their initial investigation, traffic detectives determined that Gutierrez had been walking southbound in the southbound lane of San Fernando while pushing his bicycle when he was struck from behind.
Homicide detectives launched a search for the suspect vehicle. Authorities later identified the vehicle as a silver Hyundai Accent with front-end damage and found it parked at a residence less than a mile from the crime scene.
Investigators secured a warrant to search the vehicle and a shed on the property. The owner of the car, 24-year-old Jesus Edward Manuel Sierra, was detained and questioned by homicide detectives.
After processing evidence and conducting interviews, detectives charged Sierra with second-degree murder.
Sierra was booked into the Pima County Jail, where he remains in custody on a $500,000 bond.
