Alex James Barnett, 33, was arrested Monday evening following a SWAT standoff in an apartment complex, bringing an end to a five-day manhunt. Authorities had been searching for Barnett in connection with the home invasion shooting that killed Tucson police recruit Carlos Ramirez, 23, and left his fiancée hospitalized.
Ramirez's fiancée, a Pima County corrections officer, sustained a gunshot wound during the incident and was reported in stable condition. The Pima County Sheriff's Department stated that tips led authorities to Barnett's location near East Broadway Boulevard and South Camino Seco around 6 p.m. Monday. County SWAT officers took him into custody after a three-hour standoff. No other individuals were harmed during the arrest.
Another suspect, Santiago Jorge Rogers, 39, was arrested on Saturday morning at a hotel near the Tucson International Airport. Both Barnett and Rogers are being held without bail at the Pima County jail.
Authorities have linked both men to the crime through surveillance video that reportedly shows them in black clothing at a gas station convenience store approximately 20 minutes before the shooting. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously stated that the suspects wore all black clothing and ski masks during the attack.
Barnett has a criminal history that includes prior burglary and weapons convictions. He also pleaded guilty to an unlawful imprisonment charge in December 2024. Court records indicate he has also gone by the name Alex Wilson. Information regarding Rogers' criminal record in Pima County returned no prior cases, but a man of the same name and age has drug and shoplifting convictions in Yavapai County, along with other charges.
A third individual connected to the suspect vehicle has been contacted by authorities, but no charges have been filed as investigators determine their level of involvement.
Ramirez was shot and killed at his home in southwestern Tucson early Wednesday morning. He was scheduled to graduate from the police academy on August 27 and had previously served as a corrections officer for the Pima County Sheriff's Department. His fiancée also works as a corrections officer for the department.