Three University of Arizona Students Die in Suspected Impaired Driver Hit-and-Run Near Campus

Three University of Arizona students were killed in a hit-and-run crash near the campus crosswalk on North Euclid Avenue and East Second Street. The victims—Sophia Akimi Troetel, Josiah Patrick Santos, and Katya Rosaura Castillo Mendoza—were struck by a 2019 Porsche Boxster driven by 19-year-old Louis John Artal, who was speeding and impaired by alcohol or drugs. Troetel and Santos died at the scene, while Castillo Mendoza succumbed to her injuries days later after being hospitalized. Artal fled the scene but later turned himself in and was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death. The Tucson Police Department cited impairment, speeding, and failure to yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk as major contributing factors. The University of Arizona expressed condolences and is providing support to those affected by this tragic event.