On the evening of May 7, 1988, 21-year-old Patrolman Stephen A. Sandlin was found mortally wounded inside the Mountainair Police Department building in Mountainair, New Mexico. He was discovered around 7:30 pm by 21-year-old soldier Eugene Butch Wright, who had come to ask about a ride-along; Sandlin was later pronounced dead at 8:12 pm. Sandlin had been a rookie on the four-man department for only a few months and had recently clashed with the police chief over his aggressive use of citations and radar.

The shooting was initially classified as an unexplained shooting and was at one point considered a possible suicide; in 1995 the state Attorney General’s office officially reclassified the death as a homicide. Over the years the case has generated multiple theories, including a possible link to a marijuana bust and suggestions of involvement by fellow officers; an investigator reported in 2010 that a suspect had been identified but could not be prosecuted because that person was deceased. The New Mexico Department of Justice cold case unit has reopened the file and is testing potential DNA evidence, including with forensic genetic genealogy. No arrests have been announced.

Does anyone have information about Mountainair in 1988, or recollections about the night of the talent show and who was in town that evening?