06:20 PM MST on Thursday, January 5, 2006

Arizona Daily Star

A 22-year-old man was shot dead outside an East Side convenience store this morning.

Daniel J. Weitholter died around 2 a.m. in the parking lot of the Circle K at 6485 E. Golf Links Road, said Sgt. Ramon Batista, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

Someone there told police the shooter left in a silver car, which police found within minutes about four miles away, at the intersection of East 29th Street and South Alvernon Way, Batista said.

Three men in the car were arrested.

Joaquin Montano, 22, is charged with first-degree murder, prohibited possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm.

Armando Ramirez, 30, and Joshua Berume, 21, are charged with prohibited possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm.

Police don’t know the motive for the homicide, Batista said, but some of those involved have gang affiliations.

It was the third homicide in six days in the Tucson area.

Anyone with information about any of those homicides is asked to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line of the Pima County Attorney’s Office.

For more Arizona news, visit www.azstarnet.com or www.azfamily.com.

©The Arizona Daily Star, 2005