Tucson Region

Suspect in '03 killing seized

A man wanted for murder in Tucson was picked up trying to enter the United States through the downtown Nogales port of entry Saturday, officials said. David Jesus De la Cruz, 24, was arrested about 11 p.m. when he tried to cross into the country without any identification, said Brian Levin, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. De la Cruz told agents he was wanted for murder in Pima County and was taken into custody by Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies, said Sheriff Tony Estrada. Estrada said De la Cruz was wanted on a $1 million bond for a homicide warrant issued from Pima County Superior Court on Aug. 5, 2004. De la Cruz is wanted for a November 2003 homicide, said Officer Dallas Wilson, Tucson Police Department spokesman. He was unable to provide any further information on the homicide. According to Arizona Daily Star archives, police suspect De la Cruz shot and killed an unidentified Mexican man in Tucson. The shooting left a second man injured. At the time, police believed he might try to run to Mexico. Investigators believe the injured man and the dead man were friends, and that a dispute erupted between them and De la Cruz. They suspect De la Cruz shot both men and fled. At the time, police said the shooting was drug-related because narcotics paraphernalia were found in the home where the shooting occurred.