A dispute over mail in Belen, New Mexico turned deadly on the evening of June 30, 2023, when 45-year-old Lisa Lavonne Swift-Bird was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Sonic restaurant. Swift-Bird and her fiancé had gone to a residence they had recently moved out of to collect mail, where an altercation reportedly began with the fiancé’s brother, Donald Lewis, who still lived at the home. The argument continued at the Sonic and, at about 7 p.m., police responded to reports of gunfire and found Swift-Bird with a gunshot wound to her chest; she was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts.

Witnesses said Lewis shot Swift-Bird, then fled briefly before returning and being taken into custody by the Belen Police Department. Lewis has said Swift-Bird was armed with a knife, a claim not corroborated by other witnesses; he was arrested and charged with murder and held without bond at the Valencia County Detention Center.

Is there anyone who was at the Sonic that evening or who knew Lisa or the people involved and can share what they saw?