On October 19, 2023, 23-year-old Ethan Ty Thompson was shot while walking with a friend along Gooding Lane in Farmington, New Mexico, as they headed toward a local gas station. A car turned onto the street, backed up, and shots were fired; Thompson was struck in the face, suffering a fatal injury to his eye area. Bystanders and his friend provided aid until he was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Farmington Police identified two suspects from nearby Aztec: 18-year-old Bryce Trujillo and 19-year-old Emilio Hilliard. Authorities allege Hilliard drove the vehicle and Trujillo, seated in the front passenger position, fired a small-caliber carbine rifle. Police tracked the vehicle using the city’s Real Time Crime Center; New Mexico State Police later stopped the car and arrested both men. A rifle was found in the back seat, which investigators say the front passenger placed there.

Trujillo was charged with second-degree murder and shooting at or from a motor vehicle and pleaded not guilty; a jury trial has been scheduled. Charges against Hilliard were dropped pending further investigation, with the possibility they could be refiled. Did anyone in Farmington or Aztec see a car turning onto Gooding Lane that evening or notice anything suspicious near the gas station?