Shortly after midnight on April 13, 2023, a verbal altercation in the 1900 block of Vallejo Street in Denver escalated to gunfire. Officers found 41-year-old Richard Leal lying in the street with an apparent gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed a gunshot wound as the cause of death.

Police identified a suspect known to Leal and a few days later arrested 23-year-old Jakari Martin on suspicion of first-degree murder. Authorities say the shooting stemmed from a verbal dispute between the two men.

Leal, known to family as Rugged Rich, was a father of five — Richard, Gianna, Jordan, Leonard, and Ella-Marie — and is survived by his wife, parents, siblings and a large extended family. If anyone who knew Richard or witnessed the incident has information, please come forward to Denver police.