Julian Gabriel Quintana, 15, a freshman at Miami High School, was fatally shot during a New Year’s Day party in Central Heights near Globe, Arizona. At about 1:08 a.m. on January 1, 2026, a friend called 911 to report Julian had been shot. Officers from the Gila County Sheriff’s Office and Globe Police found him unresponsive at a home on McKinney Avenue. He was taken to Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to a Phoenix hospital, where he died later that day.

Initial accounts said the suspect may have fled in a white RAM truck; later information suggested the person might have run on foot and then been picked up by an unknown vehicle. Authorities have identified 19-year-old Deshawn Tarango as a person of interest and are asking the public for help locating him. It has not been determined whether the shooting was intentional or accidental and the investigation remains active.

If anyone attended the party or has information about the events at McKinney Avenue that night, please share what was seen or heard with investigators.