On the night of July 21, 2024, emergency responders were called to a home in the 300 block of South Avenue E in Portales, New Mexico, where 18-year-old Demariay Singleton, a Black male, was found with a gunshot wound to the head and rushed to Roosevelt General Hospital. Those at the scene — a mix of adults and juveniles — initially said the wound was an accidental, self-inflicted shooting, but investigators with the Portales Police Department and the 9th Judicial District Major Crimes Unit later found inconsistencies in that account.

Two days later, on July 23, 2024, an arrest warrant was issued for a 16-year-old juvenile on charges including negligent manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and unlawful possession of a firearm, reflecting a determination by authorities that Singleton’s death was not self-inflicted. Demariay was remembered by family and friends as a kindhearted prankster who loved video games, spent time with friends, worked at University Baptist Church in Portales, and believed in second chances.

If anyone knew Demariay, was at the home that night, or has information about what happened, please share what is known.