Aaliyah Cortez was 16 when she was shot after a confrontation outside her car in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. On the evening of January 11, 2023, Aaliyah and her older sister, Jennifer Granados-Cortez, had gone to meet someone they had connected with on Snapchat to sell THC vape pens. Two people approached their vehicle; one, later identified as 17-year-old Brandon Sandoval, pointed a gun at Jennifer and demanded the pens. Jennifer tossed the items and tried to drive away, but icy road conditions caused the car to lose traction.

Sandoval grabbed the car door and reached inside during a struggle; the gun discharged and a single bullet struck Aaliyah. Jennifer took her sister to a hospital, and Aaliyah died the following day, January 12, 2023. Police named Sandoval and another 17-year-old, Marvin Perdomo-Cil, as suspects. Sandoval was arrested and charged as an adult; subsequent court filings and sentencing reported a plea and a youthful offender sentence that drew the family’s objection.

Does anyone have information about that evening or about Aaliyah’s movements leading up to the meeting?