Jesse S. Pagan, a 36-year-old White man from Montrose, Colorado, was killed in a shooting on June 11, 2026, near Kayla Trail in Montrose County. Deputies were called to the 64000 block of Kayla Trail on a Thursday afternoon and found Pagan with an apparent gunshot wound; he showed no signs of life and was later taken to Community Hospital in Grand Junction where a forensic autopsy was performed. The Montrose County Coroner’s Office was still determining the official cause and manner of death and toxicology results were pending.

The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office opened an active investigation, conducting interviews and processing evidence. Deputies arrested 43-year-old Donald Benjamin Rodarte Jr. the same day; he was booked into the Montrose County Jail and had a court appearance scheduled for July 2. Investigators have not released a detailed account of what led to the shooting, whether Pagan and Rodarte knew each other, or a possible motive.

Anyone with information about the shooting near Kayla Trail is asked to contact the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, Crime Stoppers, or submit a tip through P3tips.com.