The Tucson community and the wider classical music world were shattered by the violent death of 30-year-old baritone Juan Cristóbal Flores, a cherished singer whose life was defined by artistic dedication and profound kindness.
His promising career and gentle spirit were extinguished on the morning of Friday, December 26, 2025, when a gunman opened fire inside the Goodwill Donation Center located on East Valencia Road in Tucson, Arizona, where Flores worked as a full-time employee. The shooter, identified as 40-year-old Adrian Orozco, critically injured Flores and a female coworker before fleeing the scene.
Flores was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he fought for his life for six days while his family, friends, and the entire Tucson arts community held vigils and prayed for his recovery. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries at around 7 a.m. on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department subsequently changed the investigation from an aggravated assault to a homicide. Adrian Orozco was arrested on December 30, 2025, and later charged with multiple felony counts, including first-degree murder for Flores’s death.
A University of Arizona graduate, Flores was a vibrant and committed figure in Arizona’s musical landscape. He was a staff singer and a four-year member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and he also performed with the Arizona Opera, the Helios Ensemble, and was a longtime member of the Catalina United Methodist Church choir. In the busy weeks before his death, he had shared his voice in the TSO’s annual “Messiah” concerts and in Christmas Eve services, doing what he loved most.
Those who knew him consistently described a person whose inner goodness matched his vocal talent. His Tucson Symphony Chorus Director, Dr. Marcela Molina, remembered him as a “role model for hard work and for kindness,” who brought a constant smile and warm, engaged presence to every rehearsal. His family’s statement highlighted his “servant-hearted soul” and the light he brought to others, a light violently silenced by crime.
The community’s grief quickly transformed into tributes to honor his memory. A vigil was held outside the hospital where he was treated, and a memorial concert was organized for January 16, 2026, at the Catalina United Methodist Church. Meanwhile, the legal process began, with Orozco arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on January 15, 2026, where a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf to charges including first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Juan Cristóbal Flores is remembered not just as a victim of a senseless act of violence, but as a gifted artist whose kindness touched everyone around him. His family and friends vow to continue seeking justice for his death, while the many groups he sang with pledge to keep his memory alive through the music he loved.