Jeremiah Nathaniel Padilla

Jeremiah Nathaniel Padilla was a 19-year-old Hispanic man from Odessa, Texas, remembered by loved ones as a hardworking and kind person with a beautiful spirit. A graduate of Odessa High, he worked in landscaping for three years and was an amazing dad to his baby girl, as well as a beloved son and brother. Friends and family affectionately called him "Jerm" and "BaBa."

On the evening of December 19, 2022, Padilla was at his home in the 13000 block of Firewater Trail. Around 6 p.m., he went outside to meet with people who had arrived in a pickup truck. According to the Ector County Sheriff’s Office, the meeting was arranged to trade a weapon. A conversation took place, but it ended in an exchange of gunfire. Padilla was struck and rushed by first responders to Medical Center Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Investigators found that a 16-year-old boy who had been in the pickup truck was also shot during the incident. A young woman drove the boy and the bullet-riddled Chevrolet Silverado to Odessa Regional Medical Center and left him there. When the boy regained consciousness, he declined to speak with detectives. At the scene of the shooting, crime scene technicians recovered shell casings from two different caliber weapons, both at the residence and inside the truck, indicating that shots had been fired from both sides.

In March 2023, the Ector County Sheriff’s Office arrested the 16-year-old, identifying him as Khaleel Ashton Burford. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with Jeremiah Padilla’s death.

In August 2023, a judge certified Burford, then 17, to stand trial as an adult. Following the hearing, he was transferred to the Ector County Adult Detention Center. The next day, he was released after posting a $50,000 surety bond. As of August 2023, the case was pending trial.