Julia Clark, 19, was struck by a bullet during a gunfight that erupted at Salopek Park in Las Cruces on the afternoon of September 4, 2025, after her red Jeep stopped on the 400 block of Salopek Boulevard and was boxed in by a white Chrysler 300. Witnesses and one survivor told police shots were exchanged between people from both vehicles; Clark was found slumped over the wheel with a head wound and was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso, where she died on September 6.

Investigators describe the incident as the violent collapse of a planned robbery. Text messages recovered allegedly show Clark coordinated with others to lure two men, one identified as Apolinar Rosales, to the park after a gun purchase in Anthony, Texas. Police say shell casings and the wound’s position indicate a round fired from in front of the Jeep by Rosales struck Clark. Rosales was arrested September 6 and charged with voluntary manslaughter and other offenses.

Two other suspects have been arrested: 18-year-old Elijah Sambrano, who police say admitted being among the shooters and claimed he fired in self-defense, and 19-year-old Esteban Muñoz, both charged in connection with the alleged armed robbery and related offenses. The investigation centers on competing accounts, ballistics, and phone evidence; additional suspects were described as at large. Did anyone at Salopek Park that afternoon notice the Chrysler or the Jeep before the shooting?