On March 17, 2018, 17-year-old Ty Matthew Martinez was driving a silver sedan on West Colfax Avenue in Denver when, according to investigators, he appeared to be trying to flee another vehicle. Gunfire struck Martinez, and his car then left the roadway and crashed into a building in the 3600 block. He was extricated and taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner attributed his death to a single gunshot wound and the incident was investigated as a homicide.

Family remembered Ty as a handsome, outgoing young man, an artist with plans for the future who was a beloved son, brother, and grandson. Police appealed for information about who fired the fatal shot, but no arrests or suspects had been publicly announced. The motive for the shooting and details about the pursuit remain unclear.

If anyone has information about Ty, the vehicle that chased him that night, or the events on West Colfax Avenue on March 17, 2018, please come forward.