Businesses in Phoenix’s Melrose District planned a vigil on Thursday, September 3, to honour two men killed outside a Tucson gay bar in what police have confirmed was a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
Bars and other businesses along the roughly one-mile stretch of 7th Avenue were due to line the pavements with about 600 battery-powered luminaries, creating a display of solidarity with the community in Tucson.
The shooting happened shortly after midnight on Monday, August 31, in the car park of Venture-N. Police identified the victims as 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara.
Investigators said the men were confronted by 44-year-old Ousman Ceesay, who shot them before turning the gun on himself. Siqueiros and Capara died at the scene, while Ceesay was pronounced dead in hospital. Police said the suspect was not believed to have known either victim. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/2884382f7e35f55590bd953ceb8d11d1?utm_source=openai))
Detectives found a note at Ceesay’s home indicating that he had acted alone and that the attack was motivated by hatred towards the LGBTQIA+ community. Police also said he had been carrying a list of other LGBTQ+-associated businesses in the region, although officers have contacted those venues and said there is no known active threat. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/2884382f7e35f55590bd953ceb8d11d1?utm_source=openai))
Phoenix businesses offer support after Tucson shooting
The Melrose District gathering was intended to reinforce the area’s role as a safe space for LGBTQ+ people, organisers said, while showing that support extended beyond Phoenix.
Michael Phillips, manager of Pat O’s Bunkhouse Saloon, said businesses wanted customers to know they could continue to visit without fear.
“Definitely, for us, it’s more about just supporting and that’s all we can do,” Phillips said. “We have to let our customers know that they can trust us, they’re safe here, that they have a place to be without worrying about anything and just coming and having fun.”
Audrey Corley, owner of Boycott Bar, said the community could provide “light in these dark times” by remaining united.
“We’re a community of love, so yes, definitely light in these dark times and I believe as long as we stay together, there will be brighter days ahead,” she said.
The Phoenix vigil was scheduled to begin at 6.30pm, with an increased police presence planned for the gathering. In Tucson, hundreds of people had already attended a candlelight vigil at Catalina Park for Siqueiros and Capara, where community leaders and the victims’ relatives paid tribute to the pair. ([azpm.org](https://www.azpm.org/p/headlines/2026/9/3/231092-no-gun-gets-to-define-my-brother-tucsonans-hold-a-candlelight-vigil-for-hate-crime-victims/?utm_source=openai))
