Ja’Brian OKeith Lowe, 17, was shot and killed in Hobbs, New Mexico, on October 19, 2024. A Lea County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a silver Kia after observing it swerving into oncoming traffic and found Lowe slumped over the wheel with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Covenant Health Hospital and later pronounced dead. A 16-year-old passenger told officers the driver had been shot after a red Ford Focus pulled alongside and opened fire.

Surveillance footage from an intersection helped investigators locate the red Ford Focus and led to the arrest of 22-year-old Adalberto Verdugo of Hobbs. Verdugo admitted to firing at the Kia but said he acted in self-defense, claiming he saw a gun barrel pointed at him; a search of Lowe’s vehicle and its occupants turned up no firearm. Verdugo faces murder and related charges.

Ja’Brian, born July 28, 2007, is remembered by family as a devoted son, fiancé, and father who loved music, games, and fishing. Does anyone have information about the events leading up to the shooting or the intersection surveillance that tracked the suspect’s vehicle?