Do you know who murdered Quincy Booker in July of 2011? Quincy J. Booker, a 36-year-old Black man and lifelong resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a father to three children: Elijah, Jaydan, and Kyana Booker. He was remembered by his family, which included his parents, JC Booker and Shirley Holmes, and his brother, Danny Booker. His uncle, Johnny Booker, described him as someone who treated people nicely and didn't bother anyone, though he would get angry if provoked. Quincy was part of a large extended family of uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 17, 2011, Quincy was on the 800 block of Arno Street SE, near the intersection with Santa Fe Avenue, when his life was cut short in a sudden and brutal attack. Witnesses told the Albuquerque Police Department that a blue Dodge Neon, possibly from the 1990s, pulled up. Four men got out of the car and opened fire on Quincy as he stood on the sidewalk. He was struck multiple times in the head and chest. The shooting happened next to the St.
Francis Xavier Catholic Church, which was filled with people attending a baby shower.
The sound of gunfire shocked the neighborhood. Quincy's uncle, Johnny Booker, heard about seven shots before learning the devastating news. "After I got the news that it was my nephew that got shot, it shocked me so bad," he told a reporter. Another resident taking a shower heard the shots, and others in the area were left shaken and scared by the violence. Stray bullets from the shooting struck the wall of the church, narrowly avoiding the dozens of people, including children, who were inside for the party. One witness who was across the street said, "It was crazy because there was people outside and there was a party going on."
The four assailants fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Police arrived to a chaotic scene, and Quincy Booker was pronounced dead. The Albuquerque Police Department began an investigation, searching for the four men and the blue Dodge Neon. Despite eyewitness accounts, police stated they had few details to go on in the immediate aftermath and were unsure if the shooting was gang-related. No motive for the killing has ever been publicly released.
In the days following the homicide, friends and family created a small memorial with flowers and candles on the spot where Quincy was killed. The community was unsettled by the brazen daylight shooting, especially its proximity to a church full of people. "Everybody is talking about it because usually nothing like that happens around here," one witness said. His mother, Shirley, passed away in 2026, never having seen justice for her son's murder.
The case has grown cold over the years, and no arrests have ever been made. The identities of the four men who shot Quincy Booker remain unknown to the public. The Albuquerque Police Department's investigation is still open, but there have been no significant updates reported in more than a decade. The case remains a painful and unanswered question for his children and surviving family members. Police have asked that anyone with information about the shooting call 242-COPS. 
