Brandon Arguello Lopez, a 30-year-old Hispanic man, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the 1500 block of West 15th Street in Casper on the evening of February 1, 2024. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, where he died in the early hours of February 2. The Natrona County Coroner’s Office ruled the cause of death a homicide.

Investigators tied the shooting to a drug transaction. Court testimony states 26-year-old Rajion Lee Vu had arranged to sell marijuana to Lopez. Vu’s girlfriend, Angelina Smith, who drove them to the meet, said Lopez appeared agitated after entering their vehicle, claimed he had a gun, and intended to shoot. Both men then exited the car and Smith reported hearing three gunshots. Lopez was found shot in the back, the bullet passing through his spinal column and lodging in his brain; he was on top of a box containing individually wrapped packages of marijuana. A toxicology report detected amphetamines in his system.

Prosecutors argued the killing sprang from anger over a robbery of several hundred dollars’ worth of marijuana; the defense said Vu acted in response to a perceived imminent threat. Vu was convicted of manslaughter and received a 12 to 18 year sentence.

Did anyone in Casper know Lopez or have information about the meeting that led to his death?