The group, usually swelling to dozens of cyclists, would then ride across town, enjoying each other\u2019s company and, of course, listening to Mercado rap along to the songs playing on his bicycle’s speaker.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, Mercado was on such a group ride traversing a portion of The Chuck Huckelberry Loop<\/a> behind the Walmart shopping center along East Wetmore Road when he was stabbed.<\/p>\n \n People are also reading\u2026\n <\/p>\n He died later at the hospital.<\/p>\n Tucson police have given sparse information on what happened.<\/p>\n Police say the stabbing occurred about 9:15 p.m. along the Diamond Street Cycling Loop, between North Stone and North Stone avenues, following a confrontation.<\/p>\n A cyclist rides along the\u00a0Diamond Street Cycling Loop, near East Wetmore Road and North First Avenue as a Tucson Police Department cruiser drives through the area to clear out people in the area in Tucson on Sept. 24, 2025. Another cyclist riding along The Loop Tuesday night was fatally stabbed about 9:15 p.m., authorities say.<\/p>\n Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star<\/p>\n No motive or suspect had been identified as of late Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n In fact, the police had not yet identified Mercado as the victim.\u00a0<\/p>\n They said they believe several people witnessed the incident and urged them to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we broke the news to my little brother, we had to start with, you know how daddy goes on his Tuesday night bike ride?\u201d Paris Beniquez Mercado, his daughter, said Wednesday.<\/p>\n The Tuesday night rides were one of the many things her dad loved, she said.<\/p>\n He loved rap music, she said, often rapping the lyrics to 50 Cent songs together.<\/p>\n He even blared his bass-heavy music while picking her up from school.<\/p>\n He also loved being a father.<\/p>\n No matter what Paris needed, Mercado said, her father showed up.<\/p>\n Whether it was teaching her to stand up for herself or helping her move heavy, wooden furniture in the Tucson heat, Mercado said her dad did it with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the coolest dude ever,\u201d \u00a0were the first words from Paris Mercado when asked about her father.<\/p>\n In fact, ‘cool’ was used to describe Mercado all over social media.<\/p>\n You get to see his cool tendencies firsthand in a video posted on the Facebook page.<\/p>\n On the night he died, Mercado is seen doing wheelies on his bike, smiling big at the camera as he’s surrounded by other riders and, you guessed it, his music playing in the background.<\/p>\n Enrique Mercado.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paris Beniquez Mercado<\/p>\n \u201cHe was always blasting music, and having a really good time,\u201d said Joslyn Aguilar, a frequent rider in the cycling group.<\/p>\n She once crashed into him during one of their rides, Aguilar said. Without hesitation, Mercado stopped and made sure she was okay, giving her a hug after their accident.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was really sweet,\u201d Aguilar said.<\/p>\n Paris Mercado said the rides were important to her father since she was a young girl.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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