On January 14, 2019, Jesus Lopez, 27, was shot and killed at a Circle K gas station at Menaul and University in Albuquerque during an early-morning confrontation. Lopez had been at the store with his friend James Ronquillo, 24, and Lopez’s brother when an argument began after 32-year-old James Alex Chavez tried to leave without paying for a water bottle and a bag of chips. Surveillance footage and a criminal complaint show Chavez was escorted off the property by Lopez’s brother, with Lopez and Ronquillo following; Chavez then produced a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding both men.

Detectives relied on surveillance video plus DNA and fingerprints from the unpaid items to identify Chavez as the suspect; he was arrested and booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center shortly after the killings. The families described Lopez and Ronquillo as inseparable friends. Lopez, a lifelong Albuquerque resident, was survived by his mother Yvonne Rizo, husband Jose, children Estrella, Jesus, and Louella, brother Joseph Romero, niece Sabrina, nephew Joseph Jr., and fiancée Monica Maestas and her children. A visitation and funeral were held at St. Anne Catholic Church.

Did anyone see Lopez, Ronquillo, or Chavez at the Circle K that morning who hasn’t spoken to investigators?