STEPHEN OCHOA
Arizona Republican Newspaper
July  10, 1904

A tragedy was enacted on South Meyer Street, Tucson, on 
Sunday evening.  Steve Ochoa, one of Tucson's most prominent 
citizens, was shot down in cold blood by Emmanuel Borquez, 
one of his employees.  The citizen thus describes the incident:

The shooting occurred in Manzo & Ochoa's Store about 6 
o'clock.  The shot took effect in Mr. Ochoa's left leg, 
just above the knee.  The wound was pronounced most 
serious at the time and possibly fatal.  There was just 
one person, other than the principals in the store when 
the fatal shot was fired.  R.D. LePine, Manager of the 
store, was present and came to Mr. Ochoa's assistance 
immediately.  He saw at a glance that the wound was 
serious and leaping into a buggy he made a mad dash 
down Stone Avenue for medical aid.  Five physicians, 
Drs. Burton, Purcell, Whitmore, Olcott and Lennox 
responded quickly to the call.

After a hasty examination the doctors pronounced the 
wound as most serious and declared that the limb would 
have to be amputated above the knee.  The ball entered 
the leg just above the joint, shattered the kneecap and 
took a downward course through the marrow of the bone, 
splitting it as it went.  The bone was shattered almost 
from the knee to the ankle.  The bullet finally lodged 
in the foot.

Mr. Ochoa has  been doing a big contracting business 
here lately and had been employing a large number of 
Mexican laborers.  Steve had been in the habit of 
paying his employees whenever they desired and the 
men usually drew their money every evening.  It appears 
that Borquez had been on a spree the previous evening 
and ran out of money.  He went around to the store on 
Sunday afternoon for the purpose of making a draw.  He 
did not find Steve on the first visit so he returned 
toward evening.  Mr. Ochoa seeing that the man was 
under the influence of liquor, evidently refused to 
comply with his request.  The refusal seemed to fill 
Borquez with rage and he entered the saloon in the 
rear of the store, where he told some of his friends 
that he was going to kill Steve Ochoa.  With this 
end in view Borquez went over to his little shack 
on South Main Street and returned with an old style 
45-90 rifle of the Springfield pattern.  The assassin 
passed through the saloon unnoticed by those present 
and entered the store.  He leveled the gun at the 
two men behind the desk.  Mr. Ochoa took in the 
situation and rushed from behind the counter in a 
vain attempt to frustrate the avowed purpose of his 
assailant.  He seized the barrel of the rifle, but 
instead of throwing it upward or sideways he passed 
it downward and as the muzzle reached his knee Borquez 
fired.  The man, then leisurely left the place.

Constable Pacheco and Deputy Antonio Bravo happened to be 
in the neighborhood and hearing the shot hurried to the 
scene.  They followed the assassin to his home on South 
Main Street and arrived just in time to prevent his 
flight.  Borquez had a horse all saddled and was about 
to quit the country when intercepted by the officers.  
He was locked up in the county jail but was too intoxicated 
last evening to realize the awfulness of his crime.  
Borquez is about twenty four years old and had been in 
the employ of Mr. Ochoa for several years.

Mr. Ochoa expired about 11 o'clock last evening surrounded 
by his family and a few friends.