Deputies say a 19-year-old suspect ran from a New Year’s house party shooting.
GLOBE, AZ — An Arizona mother is pleading for help as deputies search for the person they say killed her 15-year-old son during a New Year’s gathering in the small copper-mining town of Globe. Investigators have named a 19-year-old man as the prime suspect, but he has not been found.
Beatrice Quintana has taken her son’s story beyond their community, hoping someone will share information that leads to an arrest in the death of Julian Quintana, a Miami High School freshman who relatives say loved technology. The Gila County Sheriff’s Office says a felony warrant has been issued for Deshawn Tarango, who detectives consider armed and dangerous. The case has also stirred worry among parents in the Globe-Miami area, where the shooting happened after midnight at a house party.
The gunfire erupted about 1 a.m. on Jan. 1 at a home in the Central Heights neighborhood of Globe, according to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies have said the shooting happened at a house on McKinney Avenue, south of Braley Street, after an argument during a holiday gathering. When law officers arrived, they found Julian Quintana gravely wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he died later that day. “You have to learn to live again. You have to learn how to breathe again,” his mother said in a public plea as she described the weeks since she lost her son.
Investigators say Tarango was last seen running from the home and leaving the area in a white pickup truck. A television report described it as a white Ram vehicle, and deputies have not publicly released a license plate number or said who owned the truck. Authorities have also not released a detailed account of what led up to the argument or what may have triggered the shooting, saying the investigation is ongoing. In the weeks after the killing, Tarango was first described publicly as a person of interest before detectives said he is now the main suspect and secured a felony warrant for his arrest.
Deputies have asked the public not to approach Tarango. The sheriff’s office has said anyone with information about where he is should contact the Gila County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Division. Investigators have not said whether they believe he is still in Gila County or may have left the region, which includes rugged desert terrain and mountain roads that connect small towns across eastern Arizona. Globe sits about 90 miles east of Phoenix, and the Globe-Miami area includes neighboring communities tied to the area’s mining history.
For Julian’s family, the hunt for the suspect has stretched from the first hours of the year into mid-February with no announced arrest. Quintana has traveled from Globe to Phoenix to speak publicly about her son and the case, saying she wants the community to help bring the suspect to justice. “That’s what I wanted to ask the community to bring him to justice, anyone who’s helping him or hiding him, to not let another mom be standing up here. Do the right thing,” she said.
Public appeals like Quintana’s can be critical in cases where investigators believe people at a gathering may know what happened but have not come forward. Deputies have not said how many people were at the home when the shots were fired or how many have been interviewed. They also have not said whether the shooting was captured on any surveillance video from nearby homes or whether investigators have recovered the gun. In early reports, officials said they were still trying to determine what led up to the violence and had not publicly identified the victim, a common step in the first hours of a case. As the investigation moved forward, family members and later police accounts identified the victim as Julian Quintana.
Authorities have shared only limited information about Tarango, beyond his age and the warning that he may be armed. Deputies have not released a photograph in every public update, but regional outlets have shown an image circulated by the sheriff’s office. Investigators have not detailed any prior relationship between the suspect and the victim, or whether Tarango was invited to the party or arrived later. They have also not said what charges are listed on the felony warrant, only that it was issued in connection with Julian’s death.
The shooting has shaken families in the Globe-Miami area, where school and community life often overlap. In a separate report about the ongoing search, parents described fears about safety as the suspect remained at large more than a week after the killing. Authorities have not announced any changes to school operations tied to the case, but the concerns highlight how a single violent crime can ripple through a small community where many residents know one another.
Julian’s mother has tried to keep the focus on who her son was, not only how he died. She said he was a freshman at Miami High School and had plans to build a future in technology. At home, she said, he was the person the family turned to when something stopped working. “He was our IT at home. If something was broken with WiFi, we call Julian. When our phones didn’t work, Julian,” she said.
She also shared what she described as the last text message she received from her son before he was killed, a memory she said she replays as she waits for an arrest. “He said sleep good mom goodnight I love you,” Quintana said, adding that she felt fortunate he read her message that night. Her remarks, delivered in a steady voice that sometimes broke with emotion, were aimed at anyone who may have seen the suspect flee or heard him talk about the shooting afterward.
Investigators have not announced any court dates, hearings, or an arraignment because Tarango has not been taken into custody. Until an arrest is made, the case remains in a search-and-locate phase, with detectives relying on tips, interviews, and any physical evidence collected from the home and surrounding area. Officials have not said whether they are working with federal authorities, but they have asked people across Arizona to be on the lookout for the suspect and the white truck described in reports. Law enforcement agencies often coordinate across county lines in cases involving a fugitive suspect, especially if there is reason to believe the person has traveled out of the immediate area.
Deputies have not provided an estimate for when they expect to release additional details. They have also not said whether any other people could face charges tied to the party, such as for helping a suspect evade arrest. Quintana, in her public plea, directly addressed anyone who may be shielding the suspect, saying she did not want another parent to face the same pain. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether they have identified anyone who may have been in contact with Tarango since the shooting.
The neighborhood where the shooting happened is a mix of modest homes and winding streets cut into the hills above Globe. In the hours after the shots, deputies and local police secured the scene and began interviewing people who were at the gathering, according to early statements about the response. Officials have not said whether alcohol was involved or whether the party was planned as a New Year’s Eve celebration that stretched into New Year’s Day. What is clear, investigators say, is that a teenage boy was shot during an argument and died the same afternoon.
As February progressed, Quintana’s family continued to face birthdays, school days, and ordinary routines without Julian, even as they waited for news. Friends and relatives have described the teenager as curious and focused on his future, and his mother has repeated that she wants the public to remember him as more than a victim in a headline. Her trip to Phoenix, she said, was meant to reach people who may not follow Globe-area news closely but might recognize the suspect or know where he is staying.
Authorities say the search remains active, and the sheriff’s office continues to ask for information about Tarango’s location. The next milestone in the case will be an arrest, followed by the filing of formal charges in court once the suspect is in custody. Until then, Julian Quintana’s mother said she is living day to day, holding on to memories of her son while hoping for the call that ends the search.
Author note: Last updated February 15, 2026.