Sixteen-year-old Robert Maldonado was shot the night of March 24, 2023, after an altercation at a car meet-up near the Twin Peaks Square Shopping Center in Longmont, Colorado. Family described him as a sweet and respectful young man. According to accounts, an argument with another teenager, 17-year-old Christian Mendoza, escalated into a physical confrontation; as Maldonado turned to walk back to his vehicle, he was struck by a single gunshot in the back right side. Maldonado managed to get into his truck and drive away but crashed at the intersection of Nelson Road and Hover Street.

He was found unresponsive and later died at a local hospital from the gunshot wound. Longmont police identified Christian Mendoza as the suspect and later located and arrested him; a grand jury returned an indictment in the case. The shooting devastated Maldonado’s family and the Longmont community.

If anyone was at that car meet-up or has information about the shooting, please come forward.