Seventeen-year-old Mariano Salazar was killed on the evening of June 30, 2024, while with friends on the fourth level of a downtown Albuquerque parking garage at 214 2nd St. SW. Witnesses reported that someone below was identified as Ruben, then multiple gunshots came from the street. A witness described a white sedan with dark tinted windows stopped at 2nd Street and Gold Avenue and a male in the passenger seat raising his hand just before the shots. Mariano was struck in the chest and died at the scene.

In the immediate aftermath, two people were seen going to Mariano’s vehicle and removing items including a rifle and a pillowcase filled with belongings. Witnesses said Mariano was known to carry a handgun and sometimes traded firearms from his car. A Crime Stoppers tip the next morning identified 17-year-old Ruben Valdez as the shooter, and detectives obtained warrants based on phone and social media data that reportedly included messages referring to an ongoing feud and one message in which Valdez allegedly said he caught a body.

An arrest of Ruben Valdez was reported on July 31, 2024, and charges were filed against him and his cousin Elliott Peralta in connection with the shooting. What did Mariano’s friends or anyone who was at the garage that night notice that could help clarify what happened?