Cruz Aguirre, 42, a Latino man from Hobbs, New Mexico who was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, was shot after stepping into a volatile scene on West Roxana Street on July 2, 2025. He was taken to Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital and died soon after; a funeral home recorded his passing as July 3. Investigators say the violence began as a physical domestic dispute and turned deadly when Aguirre tried to intervene and was struck by gunfire.

After the shooting a 33-year-old woman, identified as Elizabeth Salazar, was forced into a vehicle and taken by the assailant, prompting an immediate search. Police named 44-year-old Leroy Smith as the suspect, obtained a first-degree murder warrant after Aguirre died, and arrested Smith following a brief manhunt that began the night of the shooting and ended without further incident. Family and friends in Hobbs have held memorials and planned services while police continue to seek tips.

Did anyone in the Hobbs area see activity on West Roxana Street that night or have information about the vehicle involved?