Yuma police investigate deadly shooting that killed two men

Yuma police are investigating a deadly shooting that left two men dead after officers were called to the area near Third Street and 13th Avenue and then to a second scene in west Yuma minutes later.

Police said the first call came at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday, May 9, when officers responded to an aggravated assault with a gun in the 300 block of S. 13th Avenue, near Sanguinetti Athletic Complex. When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive man underneath a gazebo and began life-saving measures.

Less than 15 minutes later, police received another call at about 7:57 p.m. reporting an attempted suicide in the 1700 block of S. Fifth Avenue and W. 18th Street. Officers responded there as well, and both men were later transported to Onvida Health, the former Yuma Regional Medical Center. Both died.

Yuma police later identified the men as 55-year-old Richard Carter and 65-year-old Alvin Nelson. Sgt. Lori Franklin said the two men knew each other, but investigators have not said what led to the shooting. The department is treating the case as two linked investigations, numbered 2026-32836 and 2026-32840, and detectives are still handling the case.

The Yuma Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. That unit handles homicides, robberies and felony assaults, and police are asking anyone with information to call 78-CRIME at (928) 782-7463. The city says calls to the anonymous tip line are not recorded.

The shooting came as Yuma was already dealing with another fatal gun case. Police previously investigated a deadly shooting on S. 15th Avenue near W. Fifth Street in late April, a case that ended with the death of 18-year-old Valentin Morales and the arrests of three 18-year-old suspects in Avondale with help from Tempe and Glendale police. For residents, the back-to-back cases underscore how quickly gun violence can move through different parts of the city, from central Yuma to neighborhoods west of downtown, while detectives work to determine whether each case was isolated or part of a wider pattern.