Jennifer Lopez has joined the chorus of grief following the Tucson gay bar shooting — but a chilling new detail from investigators is what has put the LGBTQ+ community on even higher alert.
RELATED: When an LGBTQ+ Safe Space in Sacramento Doesn’t Feel Safe Anymore
Police say the suspected gunman was carrying a note listing several LGBTQIA+-associated businesses, raising the possibility that the deadly attack at Venture-N was part of a larger plan. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said investigators believe the suspect intended to cause more harm at other LGBTQ+-friendly venues.
Lopez responded to the news with a message of solidarity for the community in Tucson.
RELATED: 2 Men Killed Outside Tucson Gay Bar in Possible Hate Crime
The alleged LGBTQ+ hit list is the disturbing new detail
The shooting itself has already been reported. What is newly raising alarm is what investigators say they found after the attack: a note containing the names of several LGBTQIA+-associated businesses.
“The suspect was in possession of a note with several LGBTQIA+ associated businesses written on it,” police said.
That detail has transformed the investigation from an already devastating shooting into something potentially broader. According to Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, investigators determined that the suspect had addresses for multiple LGBTQ+-friendly venues.
“Tucson Police Department Investigators confirmed that the suspect possessed addresses for multiple LGBTQ+ friendly venues, intending to cause more harm,” Romero said in an Instagram statement.
Romero called the shooting “a direct and devastating attack on our LGBTQ+ community.”
“This tragedy serves as yet another painful reminder that homophobia is still rampant in our country,” she said.
The revelation is particularly unsettling because LGBTQ+ bars and venues are more than places to grab a drink. For many queer people, they are among the few spaces where walking through the door can mean immediately being surrounded by people who understand you.
The possibility that several of those spaces may have been identified as potential targets understandably hits differently.
Jennifer Lopez sends love to Tucson
Against that backdrop, Lopez’s message offered a very different kind of spotlight. The singer and actor has a long history of publicly supporting LGBTQ+ people, and her response focused on the community left grieving rather than on the suspected attacker.
“Heartbroken over yet another senseless act of violence against our LGBTQIA+ community. Sending love and strength to everyone in Tucson, and to the loved ones of those we lost. You are seen, you are loved,” JLO wrote.
It’s a short message, but the final words carry particular weight after investigators revealed that other LGBTQ+ venues may have been in the suspect’s sights.
“You are seen, you are loved.”
For a community dealing with the unsettling knowledge that its gathering places may have been deliberately identified, that’s a message worth repeating.
Tucson LGBTQ+ venues receive increased police presence
Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said authorities have found no indication of an ongoing threat. Still, police have increased their presence around LGBTQIA+ establishments while the investigation continues.
“We recognize this incident may cause fear and pain within our community,” Prieto said. “The Tucson Police Department has dedicated increased police presence around LGBTQIA+ establishments and is coordinating with community organizations to provide support.”
The heightened presence comes as Tucson processes the deaths of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42, and Cameron Davis Capara, 33, who were killed outside Venture-N on August 31.
The suspected gunman, 44-year-old Ousman Ceesay, also died after the shooting. Investigators determined his fatal wound was self-inflicted.
The investigation is now about what could have happened next
The alleged hit list has added another disturbing layer to a shooting that had already devastated Tucson’s LGBTQ+ community. Police are investigating the killings as a hate crime, while Romero’s statement suggests investigators believe the suspect’s plans extended beyond Venture-N. That means the story is no longer only about what happened outside one gay bar.
It is also about the LGBTQ+ spaces that investigators say may have been written down, identified and potentially placed in the path of further violence — and about a community now being asked to process the possibility of what could have happened next.
Source: Advocate