TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Tucson News Now has confirmed Tucson Police detectives were able to extract forensic evidence from the some of the items the suspect left behind in the May 2013 murder of 22-year-old Erick Bridges.
Lab results could potentially come back in the very near future, sources said. And that could shed some light on who brutally murdered this east-side convenience store clerk on May 17, 2013.
It was 1 a.m. that Friday when a hooded man entered the AM/PM at 7601 East Tanque Verde with one thing on his mind.
"This did not appear to be an armed robbery," said Tucson Police Sgt. Chris Widmer. "It appeared to be someone who entered the store, went behind the counter, stabbed the victim and left."
Store manager Jamie Ott was not there that night.
But she's seen the surveillance video, "I saw the moment when he realized he was stabbed," she said. "And I saw the moment that he fell."
And says it's something she'll never forget.
"It's gonna be something that haunts me for the rest of my life," Ott says, tears welling in her eyes. "But I think I'll be able to start healing once some progress is made with the suspect."
Progress based largely on a backpack and sweatshirt recovered by police after the murder.
Even though his face was mostly covered by that tightly-worn hood, the suspect knew his image was captured by surveillance that night.
That's why he ditched these items.
It's also how police will hopefully get a profile on who he is once lab results come back.
As for the motive behind the killing, that's something everybody, including police, are trying to figure out.
Again, this wasn't a robbery; there were no words exchanged; just a cold-blooded murder.
So if you have any information about the suspect or anybody Erick Bridges may have had any problems with, police want to hear from you immediately.
"Any information we can get, whether it be the victim, the suspect, the store, the area, any information we can get is crucial to us," Widmer says.
Tucson Police detectives reportedly do have some leads, but they're still looking for help from the public. If you have any such information, call 911 or 88-CRIME.
A reward up to $1,000 will go to the person whose tip leads to an arrest in this unsolved murder.
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Suspect (Source: TPD)
