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A late-night outing for pizza turned into a scene of pure terror in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where a mass shooting left nine people wounded and the suspected gunman clinging to life with critical injuries — leaving residents of the Democrat-led city questioning whether its streets have slipped beyond control once the sun goes down.

The gunfire tore through the area around 2 a.m. near Empire Pizza at East Congress Street and Sixth Avenue, a stretch of downtown typically buzzing with bar-goers and late-night diners. Investigators believe the violence ignited from a confrontation between two groups of people who knew one another, with innocent bystanders swept into the crossfire like debris caught in a sudden storm. Police have not yet said how many firearms were involved or what exactly sparked the dispute.

Residents Say The Streets Feel Different Now

"Definitely it's not as safe as it used to be because I know there's all kinds of fighting happening," Tucson resident Roxanne Brown told Fox 10 Phoenix — a sentiment that has become almost routine among locals describing the area's after-dark atmosphere.

A Witness's Gut Instinct Nearly Saved Her Group

Anais Camacho wasn't a stranger to violence at this particular corner — she'd witnessed shootings there before, and now makes a habit of urging relatives to clear out before last call. This time, her instincts kicked in just moments too late.

"I had like a gut feeling that we should leave and pretty much as soon as we got up, there were some guys fighting and I shouldn't have butted my butt in, but I did," Camacho told KGUN 9. She described trying to intervene verbally, only to watch the moment turn in an instant. "I was like, stop fighting and then instantly he like lifted his shirt up, and I didn't even see the gun, but I knew what that meant."

A Warning Shouted, Then Shots Fired

What followed was chaos compressed into seconds. "So I yelled at everybody to like run away like but I guess I said it in Spanish — I didn't realize," Camacho recalled. "I said he has a gun, he has a gun and nobody like moved and I had to like grab my cousin and we dipped and as soon as we bent the corner, shots fired."

Camacho said the pattern has become depressingly familiar to her. "I always tell my family and friends this: Once we're out at 1:30 a.m., let's go home because after 1:30 people always start fighting," she said. "People get drunk, they want pizza, and it always happens right here in this line or in this area in this corner. I've been through another shooting the exact same way right here on this corner and last time they let out three shots, so I kind of knew once people get rowdy, go home, you know."

Restaurant Caught In The Crossfire

Empire Pizza confirmed in a social media post that two of the wounded had been sitting on its patio, though the gunfire itself originated from outside the restaurant. The business praised the officers who sprinted toward danger and began treating victims within roughly a minute — but it didn't hold back in describing the broader security climate downtown.

"It breaks our hearts to see what downtown has become," the restaurant wrote. "There is a stronger security presence guarding our bus station than any other business in downtown."

Political Reaction Splits Along Familiar Lines

Mayor And Gun Control Advocate Point To Lax Laws

Democratic Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and former Rep. Gabby Giffords — herself a survivor of gun violence and wife of Sen. Mark Kelly — quickly pointed to Arizona's gun laws as the root of the city's declining sense of safety.

"Easy access to guns and Arizona's weak gun safety laws have continued to put all of us at risk," Romero said in a statement, calling for universal background checks, extreme risk laws, and increased funding for violence prevention. "We all deserve to be safe in all public spaces, in our schools, in our homes, in our shopping malls, and in our places of worship."

Romero's statement painted a scene of both crisis and resilience. "Last night, Tucson experienced another serious and senseless act of gun violence," she said. "A shooter recklessly began shooting in a crowded area striking nine people before being stopped by a Tucson Police Officer. Thanks to the quick actions and excellent care provided by our fire fighters and police officers, all victims were stabilized and taken to the hospital where we are hopeful they will all recover."

She added a broader reflection on how such violence ripples outward: "As we all know too well, the impact resulting from this act of gun violence reaches beyond the scene and the victims. It affects all of us: family and friends, first responders, the witnesses, our entire community. We know these moments leave a lasting impression on us and our sense of safety."

Giffords Renews Push For Reform In Her Hometown

Giffords, a nationally recognized gun control advocate, has previously given Arizona an "F" rating on her organization's annual gun law scorecard, criticizing the state for lacking measures like universal background checks, gun owner licensing, and red-flag laws.

"It is especially alarming to see another mass shooting in my hometown," she wrote in a Sunday statement. "As we await more information, what I know is this: Arizonans should be able to go get pizza on a Saturday night without fearing the next random act of gun violence. Arizona continues to have laws that make it easy for dangerous people to access guns — the time to act is now."

Investigation Widens Amid Other Ongoing Cases

Pima County authorities — still juggling the unresolved search for Nancy Guthrie — are now also investigating the officer-involved shooting tied to this incident.

"Our senior leadership is still assisting at the mass shooting downtown this morning, and a team of victim advocates has been dispatched to the hospital where we are hopeful that all nine shooting victims may survive," said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover.

Republican Leader Frames Debate Around Self-Defense

Not everyone drew the same conclusions from the tragedy. Republican Senate President Warren Petersen instead emphasized the importance of armed self-defense rights in the wake of the shooting.

"As this tragedy reminds us, evil exists, which is why we remain steadfast in supporting law enforcement and the constitutional rights of law-abiding Arizonans to protect themselves and others," Petersen wrote, according to KGUN. "We are praying for the recovery of those who were injured, for comfort for the families affected, and for justice to be served."

As the investigation into the Tucson mass shooting continues, the city finds itself once again caught between grief, political division, and the unsettling reality that a routine night out downtown ended in gunfire.