Jason Roy, a 20-year-old Hemet resident, was shot dead in his apartment at 201 S. Columbia St., near Florida Avenue, in the early hours of October 27, 2022. Court documents say a dispute over unpaid drug debts with 22-year-old narcotics dealer Roman Ralph Mendez escalated when Mendez came to collect money or possibly take Roy’s compact pistol as partial payment. Roy had reportedly consumed marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine that night.

During the confrontation Mendez searched Roy for the pistol and shot him in the head, killing him. Roy’s girlfriend, Kira Carlson, was shot in the back of the head but survived; she was found conscious, taken to Riverside University Medical Center, underwent surgery, and spent several months recovering. The Hemet Police Department investigated, leading to Mendez’s arrest on November 3, 2022, and charges that included first-degree murder, attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm, with firearm- and great-bodily-injury enhancement allegations.

Does anyone have information about Roy’s life in Hemet or about the events that night?