A family from Tucson is grieving after a tragic murder on the road to Rocky Point in Sonora, Mexico.
Nicholas Douglas Quets was shot and killed on Friday while heading to the beach with friends.
According to the Sonora Attorney General’s Office, Quets was killed in a “direct attack” by armed men along the Caborca-Altar highway. A vehicle with armed individuals drove up alongside Quets and opened fire. Paramedics arrived to provide medical care, but Quets had already passed away.
Nicholas’ father, Warren Quets, and brother-in-law, Phil Sweet, spoke exclusively with News 4 Tucson’s Chief Investigative Reporter Chorus Nylander on Wednesday.
The family had just received his remains and are demanding justice, calling for the prosecution of the killer(s). No arrests have been made yet.
Officials in Sonora have stated they are investigating and have launched a special operation to apprehend those responsible.
Warren mentioned that the family has only heard from a few elected leaders in the U.S., including Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, who addressed the attack at his Tuesday rally. However, they have not been contacted by anyone directly representing the federal government.
Given Nicholas’ military service and the family’s long history of service, Warren feels they deserve communication from the current administration. They prefer to receive confirmed details from U.S. officials rather than through media reports and would like to see U.S. government involvement in the investigation.
“Mexico is a great partner to the U.S., but this was a U.S. citizen killed 30 miles from the border. We need our U.S. law enforcement involved,” Warren Quets said.
Nicholas was born with a legacy of military service, having been born in Panama where his father was stationed. Warren shared a photograph of him and his son both in military outfits when Nicholas was a young child. Nicholas later proudly wore his Marine uniform alongside his father.
After high school, Nicholas served four years in the Marine Corps. He earned several degrees from Pima Community College and became a certified welder. At the time of his death, he was working for Pima County on Water Reclamation projects.
His absence has left a significant void in his family. “He was the life of the party, a guy who often threw caution to the wind but never hurt anyone who wasn’t a bad person,” his father said.
Phil Sweet mentioned that Nicholas had a huge impact on his children. “These cowards in Mexico, who we’ve been told are the cartel, took away my son’s favorite uncle, his favorite person in the world. We demand justice for Nick,” he said.
The family does not want his death to become a political issue, but they were saddened to learn it wasn’t the first case of violence against U.S. citizens in the area this year. In August, two elderly women from Arizona were shot and killed in an armed attack in the same general area.
Warren believes more needs to be done on both sides of the border to address the violence and ensure the safety of tourists. He mentioned that his son had made many previous visits to Mexican beaches, enjoying scuba diving and other recreational activities, sometimes accompanied by his father.
“He went down there this time to enjoy the ocean, the one thing we don’t have in Arizona, and he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Warren said.
Source: KVOA
