A 19-year-old in Arizona has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he hit and killed his younger brother with a car during a violent confrontation in a Starbucks parking lot, the Guardian reported.
The Yuma Police Department said officers and firefighters responded to a call on Sept. 13 just before 8 p.m. about a “motor vehicle collision” in the lot. When they arrived, they found 17-year-old Javier Figueroa unresponsive. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead soon after.
Police said the incident involved three people: Javier, his brother Juan Figueroa, and a 36-year-old man who has not been identified.
According to booking records, Juan was arrested hours later on Sept. 14 and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. He is being held on $500,000 bond, with no court date yet announced.
Investigators believe the tragedy began as a road rage incident in the parking lot that turned into a fight between the three men. At some point, police say, Juan struck his younger brother with his car.
The 36-year-old man was detained, questioned, and later released. A probable cause statement obtained by local outlet KYMA reported that the man told investigators the brothers came at him with a knife and that he and Javier began physically fighting.
Juan reportedly told police he was trying to protect his brother by aiming his car at the older man, but instead hit Javier by mistake.
The Figueroa family has been left shattered. Their father, Joseph, told Fox 8 that his sons had called him as the fight unfolded and said they were being chased. He said he urged them to hang up and call 911 because the police station was nearby.
“I told them to hang up and call 911 because the police station was just down the street, but I guess they didn’t make it,” Joseph said.
He described his sons as inseparable, adding that Juan had just graduated high school and Javier was days away from his 18th birthday.
“I’m trying to bury one son and bail the other one. I need to know the truth, so I can help him,” Joseph said, adding that he believes there is more to what happened that night.
PEOPLE reported that requests for comment to the Yuma police and fire departments had not been returned as of Sept. 21.
Meanwhile, a family friend has set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and provide support to Joseph and his family during what they called “this devastating time.”
The case remains under investigation, with prosecutors yet to confirm whether additional charges could be filed.