TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Three weeks after a local cyclist was stabbed to death along Tucson’s Chuck Huckelberry Loop, riders are speaking out about what they describe as growing safety concerns on the popular trail.
Enrique “Kix” Mercado was killed on September 23 during the Tuesday Night Bike Ride, a weekly cycling event that draws dozens of riders. His roommate, Emilio Roman Nunez, says the incident has left the cycling community shaken and determined to see change.
“The amount of people enjoying the Loop is being cut in half,” Nunez said. “They don’t want to endanger themselves. One wrong turn, and you end up in a drug yard.”
He says his neighbors told him they’ve stopped using the Loop due to recent violent incidents and the growing number of unhoused people and drug addicts.
While Nunez says many areas of the Loop are safe, such as Oro Valley, he says the deteriorating conditions have turned what he says is “beautiful” into a safety hazard, troubling for Tucson’s large cycling community, of which Nunez and Mercado were integral members.
Nunez met Mercado while, naturally, on a mountain bike ride.
“Out of nowhere, he was like, ‘Hey, we got the same bike,’” Nunez recalled. “We became friends, and he introduced me to the Tuesday night bike ride.”
Mercado ended up moving in with Nunez, and the two often joined group bike rides, including the Tuesday Night Ride.
“Enrique was an avid bike rider, a talented, skillful rider,” he said. “The Tuesday Night ride was fun for him, and he got a lot of people to join.”
Initially, Nunez planned to join the September 23rd ride that claimed Mercado’s life, but said he had to sit it out while recovering from surgery. He says he now wishes he’d gone, but is unsure of how different the event would have played out.
Later that night, he received the devastating call that Mercado had been attacked and killed.
“I was told there were some people throwing rocks, I heard urine was being thrown in bottles,” Nunez said. “And all I hear is, ‘Enrique’s passed away.’ This is devastating. He was so happy.”
Nunez says his friend was stabbed in the lower back, which most of the group was unaware of because they had continued on the path. He says the Loop’s design contributed to the attack and prevented a quicker emergency response.
“That bike path is narrow with people on both sides, so where are you going to go?” Nunez said. “I guess he got stabbed in the lower back area, and since there was no way to get an ambulance or paramedics there, it was very hard to rescue him.”
On October 2, the Tucson Police Department (TPD) announced that a man was arrested in connection with Mercado’s murder.
Nunez says conditions on The Loop have noticeably worsened in recent years, with more reports of encampments, open-air drug use, and trash accumulating along sections of the trail.
“Definitely in the past five years, I’ve seen people just camping there, grocery carts, dogs,” he said.
To draw attention to the issue, Nunez and a friend flew a drone over the area near River and Stone—close to where Mercado was killed. The footage captured people camping and using drugs along the path.
“Immediately, they just started chucking rocks, and one guy covered his head with a hoodie immediately,” Nunez said. “The ones that seemed suspicious just started moving.”
Nunez hopes that local officials and law enforcement will take note and use similar surveillance tools to monitor problem areas. He says those captured on video were quick to leave the area and feels that similar approaches from law enforcement could clear the area.
He also suggested that clearing the area of its growing trash problem could make a difference.
“It’s dangerous in there. Very dangerous,” he said. “If we could start getting some wash cleanup, maybe they’ll move on out.”
Cyclists plan to keep pushing for improvements. On October 21, Nunez and friends will hold a memorial and fundraiser at 191 Toole to honor Mercado and raise awareness about safety along The Loop.
A memorial ride will also take place Tuesday evening, beginning at the University of Arizona’s Old Main flagpole, following the same path Enrique “Kix” Mercado once rode every week.
“It’s sad, but we do want something to change from it,” Nunez said. “He would do the same if anybody were injured on that ride or in a bike group.”
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