Juan Emmanuel Vazquez-Salas, 19, was shot dead in the parking lot of the Las Palomas Apartments on Hopewell Street in Santa Fe on June 7, 2022. Officers and medical personnel found him around 5 a.m.; he was treated at the scene but could not be revived. The shooting remains unsolved and, as of the latest reports, no suspects have been identified or arrested.

Local prosecutors and police describe this death as part of a troubling rise in gun violence among young people in the Santa Fe area. Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Padgett Macias noted that many youth-involved shootings do not produce charges or convictions when suspects are unknown or witnesses are uncooperative. Santa Fe Police Chief Paul Joye has urged partnerships with outreach groups to identify at-risk youths before violence occurs.

Anyone with information about what happened at Las Palomas Apartments on June 7, 2022, is asked to come forward.