Dacien Salazar

Dacien Salazar, a 19-year-old Hispanic/Latino male from Pueblo, was visiting Denver with two friends for a Valentine's Day trip. On February 14, 2024, after spending about an hour inside the Downtown Aquarium at 700 Water Street, the group was walking back to their car around 3 p.m. when a black four-door sedan pulled up beside them. A person in the back seat wearing a black mask opened fire, striking Salazar multiple times in what police would later describe as a targeted, drive-by shooting. Salazar was the only person hit. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries.

The investigation into the shooting involved piecing together witness statements, surveillance footage, cellphone data, and ballistics evidence. Friends told police that Salazar "had a lot of people that were after him" and had received threats on Facebook. Investigators identified the suspect vehicle as a black Chevy Malibu with temporary tags. Security footage captured the car in the area and showed two people removing a temporary tag from it at a nearby REI store before the shooting.

Detectives linked the crime to two brothers from Pueblo, Antonio Vasquez, then 19, and Jason Trujillo Jr., then 17. An anonymous tip, combined with threats against Salazar on social media allegedly made by Trujillo, helped point investigators toward the pair. Ballistic reports showed that the same type of bullet cartridges found at the aquarium were also recovered from the scene of a previous gang-related shooting in Pueblo.

In May 2024, Vasquez and Trujillo were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The Denver District Attorney's Office announced that Trujillo would be tried as an adult. Both were held on a $1 million cash-only bond.

The case concluded when both brothers accepted plea deals. Antonio Vasquez, the shooter, and Jason Trujillo Jr., the driver, each pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. As a result, the first-degree murder charges were dropped. In March 2026, a judge sentenced Vasquez to 40 years in prison and Trujillo to 20 years in prison for their roles in Dacien Salazar's death.