Two men were arrested this week for allegedly drugging, kidnapping, and sexually assaulting a woman earlier this summer.
Zabdiel “Zab” Kofi Echie, 24, and Joaquin Corona Borboa, 21, face sexual assault and kidnapping charges. The two are alleged to have conspired to commit the crimes.
Echie is a Border Patrol agent in training who had served until recently in the Marine Corps. Public records indicate that Echie lived in the Virginia/Washington, D.C. area throughout his high school years, and in the Tucson area for at least the last several months.
Borboa is a college student on hiatus at the University of Arizona (U of A) who works as a handyman with his uncle and is an aspiring fitness influencer according to his social media activity. Unlike Echie, Borboa’s attorney described him as a lifelong Tucson resident dating back to four months old. Borboa’s attorney mentioned that his parents were present for the initial hearing and willing to house him should the judge permit him to be released on his own recognizance. The judge did not.
Court documents revealed that the alleged victim, an 18-year-old woman, told investigators that Echie and Borboa gave her alcohol and then, to her surprise, put an “unknown white powdery substance” in her mouth while driving her from Tucson to Echie’s home in Sahuarita on June 19.
The victim alleged that she became disoriented during the 30-minute drive, and further alleged that Borboa digitally penetrated her.
Once at Echie’s home, the victim claimed that she passed out and later awoke to Echie having sex with her in his bed. She alleged that she attempted to stop Echie but that he held her down with Borboa’s help.
The victim also alleged that Borboa forced her to perform oral sex on him before taking her to his apartment and having sex with her there for several more hours.
The interim complaint reported that Echie’s cell phone contained a short video of the sexual encounter. Investigators noted that the victim was crying on the video, and that Borboa was visibly holding her down as Echie had sex with her.
Investigators also discovered text messages between Echie and Borboa that allegedly reflect they planned the sexual assault.
The judge who oversaw Borboa’s initial court appearance called the data discovered on Borboa’s phone “concerning.”
Echie posted his $150,000 bond; Borboa is being held at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on a $350,000 bond.
Neither Echie nor Borboa have any criminal history. Attorneys for both men negotiated for lowered bonds, arguing that neither presented a threat to the community based on their lack of criminal history.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told 13 News that Echie was an off-duty employee and confirmed that its Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating Echie over the allegations.
“CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission, and the overwhelming majority of CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe,” stated CBP.
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A captain for the U.S. Navy will be inducted into his high school’s hall of fame on September 11.
Navy Captain Kurt Astroth will be in attendance for the induction ceremony in his honor at Mountain Pointe High School.
Astroth serves at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined the Navy 22 years ago.
Previously, Astroth served as commanding officer of the USS Donald Cook. Astroth has served as a surface warfare officer aboard multiple ships: the USSs Boxer, Essex, Chief, Gladiator, Scout, Lake Champlain, and Underwood.
Astroth was inspired by the men in his family to join the military. His grandfather served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, his father in the Army during the Korean War era, and his uncle served as a naval aviator in Vietnam.
His family has continued to be a positive source of support in his life.
Of his service, Astroth said that he has grown to appreciate it as having a meaning deeper than serving his country.
“When I joined the Navy as a young man, I understood service largely in terms of serving my country,” said Astroth. “After more than two decades, my understanding of service has become much more personal. Service requires sacrifice. When you are young, it is difficult to fully appreciate what that means. Over a career, sacrifice becomes time away from family, missed events and milestones, deployments, and accepting that you will not always have complete control over where you go or when you will return.”
Astroth also stated that his service has rewarded him with the unparalleled opportunity to lead and develop the younger generations coming into service.
“For me, one of the greatest rewards of service has been the opportunity to lead and develop sailors, and to know that, for a period of time, I had the opportunity and responsibility to make a positive difference in their lives,” said Astroth. “I have served around the world, led sailors at sea, commanded a warship and watched young men and women grow into capable professionals and leaders themselves.”
Astroth was raised in Phoenix and graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in 1999, approximately eight years after the school had first opened. While at Mountain Pointe, Astroth lettered in football, track, and band. Astroth was a percussionist in the high school concert band for all four years.
Additionally, Astroth participated in the school’s German exchange program and, in turn, hosted three exchange students from Germany.
Astroth graduated from Mountain Pointe as a member of the National Honor Society. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts, and achieved the Eagle Scout rank.
Astroth credited his Mountain Pointe High School teachers and coaches, his Boy Scout troop leaders and fellow scouts, and his community at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe for setting him up for success in his youth.
“Each of those communities gave me opportunities to grow, challenged me in different ways and helped establish values that I carried with me into the Navy,” said Astroth.
Tomika Banks, Mountain Pointe High School principal, told Astroth in a letter that his leadership and service to the community warranted his memorialization within the halls he once walked.
“This is a well-deserved recognition of your years of outstanding leadership and service to the Mountain Pointe Community, and an acknowledgment that you exemplified exceptional commitment to our school and students,” said Banks.
Astroth’s induction ceremony is scheduled to occur on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at 5:15 p.m. in the gym lobby. Astroth will also be recognized at 6:30 p.m. on the football field prior to the school’s varsity football game.
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A shooting outside a Tucson gay bar earlier this week by a Muslim immigrant took the lives of two men, one of whom happened to be a sympathizer to the Palestinian cause.
The victims were Cameron Davis Capara, 33, and Vincent Anthony Siqueiros, 42.
Capara was an active Antifa activist who worked with the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance and regularly protested against immigration enforcement, the pro-life movement, and President Donald Trump.
Although Siqueiros had a smaller online presence, he did share posts that indicated contempt for those to the right of the political spectrum, including one AI-generated video depicting President Donald Trump being knocked out from a punch to the head.
The shooter, Ousman Ceesay, 44, had moved recently to Tucson. Ceesay shot Siqueiros and Capara outside the Venture-N, a gay bar, at approximately 12:30 a.m. on August 31 prior to turning the gun on himself.
Recovered among Ceesay’s possessions was a list of LGBTQIA+ establishments.
Ceesay was a naturalized citizen and practicing Muslim who immigrated from West Africa to Oklahoma on a student visa approximately 16 years ago.
Democratic and Republican leaders have divergent viewpoints about the nature of the attack.
Arizona’s top Democrats have referred to the shooting as a hate crime rooted in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments.
Reps. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03) conducted a moment of silence for the shooting victims alongside the Congressional Equality Caucus on the House floor on Wednesday.
Tonight I joined @Rep_Grijalva, the AZ delegation, and the @EqualityCaucus for a moment of silence on the House Floor for Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, who were murdered at a Tucson bar this week in a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community. pic.twitter.com/JiSkbz8V5N
Grijalva, who organized the observance, preceded the moment of silence with a House floor speech advocating for stricter gun control and railing against Republican-led laws impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
“This type of targeted violence does not happen in a vacuum. It is cultivated by anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, laws, policies, and executive orders. And it is the direct consequence of this body’s failure to act on gun violence. Cameron and Vincent should still be alive today,” said Grijalva. “Mr. Speaker, how many more parents need to bury their children before Congress takes action to address the gun violence epidemic? How many more people need to die before this chamber stands up to the gun lobby? Our communities are sick and tired of hearing our ‘thoughts and prayers.’ We should be acting today to pass commonsense gun safety laws and to combat hate and violence targeting LGBTQ+ folks.”
Although investigators have not tied Ceesay’s attack to his religion, some Arizona Republicans are arguing the attack was more than a hate crime — they allege it was motivated by radical Islamic beliefs.
State Rep. John Gillette (R-LD30) said it was “radical Islamic terrorism” that occurred earlier this week, and that Democratic policies were to blame.
“The democrats invited these terrorists to the US that we were sent to their country to kill, so we would not have these attacks,” said Gillette. “You invited, support and have Partnerships with the enemy. Start supporting Americans! Not terrorism!”
Disgusting, you mourn the death of a person that is gay and call it equality. You are bunch of pandering idiots.
We mourn the death of an American citizen, killed by radical Islamic terrorism on our own soil.
The democrats invited these terrorists to the US that we were sent…
— Rep. John Gillette AZ House LD30 (@AzRepGillette) September 3, 2026
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The Arizona Medical Board has been operating in a matter that puts public safety at risk, according to a new audit.
A sunset review released earlier this week by the Arizona Auditor General found the board is failing to resolve complaints in a timely manner, establish sufficient oversight and accountability mechanisms, and act within or fully exercise its statutory authority.
Statute requires the board consist of 12 governor-appointed members to serve five-year terms. However, as of their latest meeting on Wednesday, the board had nine of its 12 required positions filled, one more than what the audit noted back in February of this year.
The auditor general warned that these failings outlined in this latest audit present an increased risk to public safety and contribute to inefficient and ineffective operations, statutory noncompliance, unauthorized disciplinary actions, and waste of public resources.
According to the audit, 78% of complaints closed in fiscal year 2024 weren’t resolved within 180 days as required; some complaints took up to 4.5 years to resolve. Additionally, the board failed to consistently use its authority and enforcement options when resolving complaints.
There were 1,069 complaints opened up in fiscal year 2024, and 1,095 complaints opened up in fiscal year 2025.
The nature of these complaints concern allegations that a licensee may be medically incompetent, guilty of unprofessional conduct, or mentally or physically unable to safely engage in the practice of medicine.
Some of the complaints that were resolved past the statutorily required time frame included allegations of a licensee sexually harassing staff, inappropriately performing surgical procedures, inappropriately prescribing controlled substances, and failing to query the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program as required.
One complaint that took more than three years to resolve concerned a licensee allegedly failing to obtain consent from a patient prior to conducting a medically unnecessary procedure. Nine months later, the board received a second complaint alleging the same licensee operated without informing a patient with a recent infection at the surgical site of the risks and failed to provide adequate post-operative care, treatment, and communication. The board then received two additional complaints for the licensee during those three years to resolve the initial complaint. Although the board substantiated the allegations per the audit, the board allowed the licensee to continue practicing for more than three years.
The audit noted that the board has historically failed to investigate and resolve complaints in a timely manner. Five prior audits spanning 43 years have raised that same finding, without sufficient resolution.
The audit also found that the board and its executive directors regularly delegated key responsibilities to staff but didn’t establish oversight and accountability mechanisms necessary to preserve operations, public resources, and statutory and policy compliance.
Although the board wasn’t timely on complaint resolutions, the audit did find that the board was issuing and renewing licenses, registrations, and permits in a timely manner.
As of February, there were more than 35,000 active licensees and registrations.
The auditor general recommended the board implement complaint-handling policies and procedures inclusive of mechanisms for tracking, monitoring, identifying, and resolving delays. Additionally, the audit recommended improving staff productivity and performance standards, and establishing accountability measures to ensure the alignment with those standards.
And the auditor general recommended stricter alignment with statutory processes for taking disciplinary actions, along with training for board members on their full statutory authority and enforcement options.
The auditor general’s office contracted with Walker & Armstrong, an independent CPA firm, to conduct the audit.
Raquel Rivera, the board’s executive director, issued a response agreeing to all of the audit’s findings and recommendations. A follow-up will occur in six months, also conducted by Walker & Armstrong.
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The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) is lowering its standards and shifting hiring practices in order to recruit and hire more female cops by 2030.
PPD leadership explained during a city council meeting that they are working to align with the 30×30 Initiative, in which participating law enforcement agencies pledge to have female officers make up 30% of the force by 2030 at minimum.
PPD Commander Warren Brewer confirmed that the department aims to have 30% of academy classes consisting of females by 2030.
“That is a focus for us hiring,” said Brewer. “Hopefully we will stay in the double digits when it comes to hiring the female applicants.”
11 other law enforcement agencies in Arizona have signed onto the 30×30 Initiative pledge: Apache Junction Police Department, Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, Arizona State University Police Department, Gilbert Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Mesa Police Department, Queen Creek Police Department, Tempe Police Department, Tucson Police Department, University of Arizona Police Department, and Yuma Police Department.
Nearly 400 law enforcement agencies across 46 states have signed onto the 30×30 Initiative pledge. The only states without any law enforcement agencies signed onto the pledge were Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
PPD’s latest academy class had 14 females enrolled, which Brewer said was “the highest” he’d seen in a recruiting class since he’s been in the department. The next class coming in has seven female recruits enrolled.
PPD confirmed that they’ve already begun lowering fitness standards to boost female recruits.
Megan Avalos, PPD’s assistant director for human resources, explained that PPD has lowered pre-academy testing standards for physical agility and ability.
“Pre-employment, we’re giving them an additional 12 seconds because they believe that they can get them ready for that test at the academy,” said Avalos.
PPD’s Physical Ability Test previously required candidates to complete a course simulating essential job functions within two minutes and six seconds. In order to hire more women, PPD has increased the time limit for pre-academy testing to two minutes and twenty seconds.
The test requires candidates to complete an obstacle navigation through climbing over barriers and maneuvering through tight spaces, pursuit simulation through short-distance sprinting and directional changes, victim rescue through dragging a weighted dummy to safety, and equipment carry through lifting and transporting weighted objects.
Per PPD, the test is designed to reflect the real-world physical demands of policing.
This year, PPD once again failed to fill its sworn hiring target of 3,125.
Total recruits in the academy fell from the July 2025 total, but were higher than they were in July 2024. There were 127 recruits in the academy as of July, compared to 135 last July and 70 in July 2024.
Total filled sworn positions also fell for the third year in a row, from 2,527 in July 2024, to 2,501 in July 2025, and then to 2,467 this July.
There were 2,594 total filled sworn positions and recruits this July, which was below July 2024 and July 2025 levels: 2,597 and 2,636, respectively.
However, PPD did report that year-to-date applications represented a 9.6% increase over 2025, and that monthly application totals in 2026 have consistently exceeded or met prior-year performance.
Avalos emphasized that PPD has worked at streamlining its recruitment and hiring processes to encourage candidates and prevent the loss of applicants along the way.
Councilmember Jim Waring was skeptical of PPD’s narrative that recruitment and hiring processes were causing low recruitment. Waring said that recruitment was “worse off” than it was two years ago.
Waring contended that the ongoing recruitment woes were the continuation of a social shift that occurred in 2020, citing the much higher recruitment numbers for the decades leading up to the pandemic.
“Something changed in 2020 that made people not want to be Phoenix police officers, long before the incident that was mentioned or a lot of incidents that have been in the media, or whatever,” said Waring. “If we could figure out what that something is and address it, because that’s your problem. I don’t think it’s processes and so forth, that didn’t seem to effect things for the 20 years I’m looking at before. We used to kind of routinely get 300 people to fill up the classes without really putting a lot of effort into it, and now we’re not.”
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