Bullets abruptly end fraternity party

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Summer Wildcat Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity members and their party guests stand on the opposite side of the street from where a man was shot early Sunday morning. Tucson Police Department officers taped off the lot, owned by Aura Incorporated, near pedestrian/bicycle und erpass on Martin Avenue. Police are still investigating the incident.

Witnesses heard three to five gun shots at about 2:30 a.m. at East First Street and North Martin Avenue.

The party was hosted by the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity at the Theta Tau fraternity house, 1030 N. Martin Ave.

The Tucson Police Department received a call that a person was shot and lying on the ground in the lot at 2:38 a.m., said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, spokesman for the department.

The on-campus lot belongs to Aura Incorporated and is across the street from the house.

The victim, a man in his early 20s, was taken by another person to the University Medical Center, Mejia said. UMC admitted the victim at 2:46 a.m. and reported the injury was not life threatening, he said.

Mejia said the victim's name is being withheld for his safety.

"That's usually the case in these types of shootings, where we don't know who the suspects are," Mejia said.

After the shots, Mejia said two male suspects, one with two gold teeth, fled southbound in a four-door, late model Volvo.

Tucson Police Sgt. Mike Widmer said the case is still active and that police are waiting to hear from the victim before moving forward with the investigation. No arrests have been made.

The University of Arizona Police Department was not invovled because the parking lot is not included in the department's jurisdiction, UAPD Sgt. Sal Celi said.

Sedrick Bouknight, vice regent of Theta Tau and Kappa Alpha Psi member, said the party was originally scheduled for the Ramada University Inn, 1601 N. Oracle Road, but the hotel had canceled the event because of security concerns.

Bouknight said the fraternity had held an event at the hotel at the end of the spring semester without incident; however, the Ramada wanted to quadruple security for Saturday night.

Richard Prall, guest services manager for the Ramada said he was aware of the situation but could not comment because the hotel had been threatened with legal action.

Bouknight said Kappa Alpha Psi was looking into its legal options. He said the fraternity had a contract with the hotel that was canceled July 16.

Signs were put up outside the hotel that stated the party had been moved to Theta Tau, Bouknight said.

The party itself had security, Bouknight said, liquor was not allowed in and people were carded at the door. He said he believed the signs at the hotel had lured a large number of uninvited people to the area and that the shooting did not involve any guests of the fraternity.