More than a decade after a gunman opened fire outside a home near 19th Street and 10th Avenue, Tucson investigators are offering up to $4,000 for information that could finally solve the killing of Osvaldo Raul Vargas. He was shot on January 14, 2014, and died from his injuries several days later, leaving behind a case that has sat unresolved ever since.
Vargas, 35, was standing outside his home in the 400 block of West 19th Street near South Osborne Avenue when the attack happened, according to Tucson.com. He worked as a delivery driver for a mattress company and had just arrived home from his shift when two of his neighbors joined him outside. As reported by KVOA, Tucson police say Vargas was shot outside his house near that same intersection in January 2014.
Accounts of the getaway vehicle differ. Investigators have described it as a dark-colored SUV resembling a Dodge Durango or Chevy Blazer that drove toward Vargas and fired multiple shots, per the station's report. Tucson.com, however, described the vehicle as a red or maroon SUV that pulled up before someone inside opened fire on the home. The discrepancy between the two descriptions has never been publicly resolved.
Reward Money Adds Up to $4,000
The new push for tips comes with real money attached. A private contributor is offering up to $1,500, while the nonprofit tip service 88-CRIME is providing up to $2,500, bringing the total potential reward to $4,000, the same report notes. Anyone with information is urged to contact 88-CRIME, and tipsters are told they can remain anonymous throughout the process.
Cash incentives have become a recurring tool for Tucson investigators hoping to shake loose information on cold cases. In April, a reward of up to $2,500 was offered for tips in the shooting death of a 20-year-old in Tucson, according to KVOA. Last year, a separate cash reward was announced for information connected to the 2010 murder of David Vukmanovich, as the same outlet reported.
A Case That Has Waited Over a Decade for Answers
For now, the facts of Vargas's death remain largely what they were in the days after the shooting: a man gunned down outside his own home, a vehicle description that conflicting reports can't agree on, and a family still waiting for someone to be held accountable. The reward offer is the latest attempt to change that, giving anyone with knowledge of the January 2014 shooting a financial reason to finally come forward.
