Juan Carlos Romero, 26, was fatally shot on February 7, 2017, while walking near his home in Albuquerque at the intersection of Stanford and Central Avenue, close to the University of New Mexico campus. Police found him deceased on the sidewalk in the early hours of a Tuesday; his personal valuables were still on him, a fact investigators noted when considering motive.

Romero was a graduate of St. Pius X High School, held multiple degrees from the University of New Mexico, and was a graduate student with ambitions of becoming a professor. He was also a practicing artist whose printmaking, drawing, and painting had appeared in New Mexico galleries, worked as a substitute teacher, and helped in his father’s business. Family remember him as generous, intellectually curious, and creative.

Investigators reported no eyewitnesses, no surveillance footage, and minimal physical evidence at the scene. The Albuquerque Police Department considered both a targeted attack and a random act of violence, but the case has gone cold: no arrests or public identifications of suspects have been announced. If anyone knew Juan or saw activity near Stanford and Central Avenue on February 7, 2017, please come forward with information.