Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024.
It’s been one week since 32-year-old Jacob Couch passed away, following weeks in the hospital after a hatchet attack in downtown Tucson .One Tucson an has launched an online petition urging the City Council and Mayor Regina Romero to honor Couch’s life with a permanent memorial located downtown.
As of Thursday, the petition has garnered more than 700 signatures.“The public, you know, is just wanting the violence to stop,” said Damian, the organizer behind the petition.Damian said the goal is not only to create a plaque that will preserve Jacob’s memory, but also to raise awareness and bring an end to rising violence in the city.Couch was killed by a man wielding a hatchet while sitting at a downtown transit stop, according to Tucson police. He and his wife, Kristen, were preparing to return home to Alabama.“He was just a kind like a big hearted person,” said Kristen Couch.Couch’s death is not an isolated incident. The Tucson Police Department has reported 22 homicides so far this year — six more than the same time last year.“This was such a heinous attack that, you know, everybody's kind of sticking together as unity, and that's where the memorial came from,” Damian said.He hopes the petition sends a message to Mayor Romero and motivates city leaders to take a stand against the ongoing violence.“Trying to get it to where she just says. You know what? Enough's enough. I'm gonna. I'm gonna make a statement and maybe, hopefully, put out this memorial for Jacob and and stopping violence,” Damian said.KGUN 9 reached out to the mayor’s office, which declined to comment due to the active investigation. Damian said Change.org also reached out to Romero on Sunday and has not received a response.Despite the lack of response from city officials, Kristen expressed gratitude for the support she’s received from the Tucson community, including the memorial proposal.“So many people have just wrapped their arms around us. And that's another way they're doing it. And we're just so thankful,” she said.Damian said he hopes the petition gains traction beyond the local level.
Petition Jacob Couch Police Crime Violence Tucson
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