Demetrius Paul Cruz, 15, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of a December weekend while sitting in a vehicle with his cousin near Sheridan Boulevard and West Dartmouth in Denver. Their car had been struck from behind, and an occupant of the other vehicle exited and opened fire. First responders found Demetrius suffering from gunshot wounds to his back in the 5200 block of West Bates in the Bear Valley neighborhood around 3:50 a.m.; he was taken to a hospital and died a short time later.

Police asked the public about a white vehicle seen leaving the area just before officers arrived. In the days afterward the family appealed for help; his brother Donovan Cruz publicly described the family’s pain and called for justice. No arrests have been announced and authorities have not named any suspects.

If anyone was in the Bear Valley area that night or has information about the white vehicle, please come forward to investigators.