Man shot and killed in Pueblo; he's the 26th homicide victim in the city this year
Pueblo police are investigating the city's 26th homicide of the year after a man was found with a gunshot wound early Sunday morning and later died at a local hospital.
According to a news release, police received a report of a shooting just before 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve in the 1300 block of East 14th Street. At the scene, officers found an adult man with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim, who has not yet been publicly identified, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. He was later declared dead at the hospital, according to the release.
Pueblo Police Department detectives are investigating the man's death as a homicide. The victim will be identified by the Pueblo County coroner after his next of kin has been notified. The coroner's office will also determine the man's official cause and manner of death.
No arrests have yet been made and the department's investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged by Pueblo PD to contact police dispatch at 719-553-2502 or Detective Phillip Vigil at 719-601-7816. To remain anonymous, contact Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-STOP (719-542-7867) or pueblocrimestoppers.com. Information that leads to a felony arrest could qualify its submitting party for a cash reward.
Sunday morning's fatal shooting marks the 26th homicide in the city of Pueblo this year and the 28th county-wide. Last year, Pueblo reported 27 homicides in the city, and 30 county-wide.
What we know about Pueblo County's previous 27 homicides of 2023
Unnamed 2-year-old, Jan. 31: Mythia Latka, 23, has been charged with child abuse causing the death of her 2-year-old child, who has not been publicly identified by the Chieftain because the child is a minor.
Heather Duran, Feb. 24: Francisco Ruiz, 30, is accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of the 34-year-old Duran. Ruiz is scheduled for a jury trial in January after a judge found there was sufficient evidence to set the case for trial.
Fred Ettleman, Feb. 24: Ettleman, 79, was killed in a shooting at King Soopers on Northern Avenue. Police have not publicly identified any suspects in Ettleman's death.
Joseph Vigil, March 4 : Vigil, 38, was killed in a late-night shooting. Police identified Pablo Carillo and Mario Valenzuela as suspects in the case. Carillo was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Valenzuela died on April 6, according to Pueblo PD. The county coroner stated that Valenzuela died in a "non-newsworthy manner" and declined to release Valenzuela's cause of death.
Sancho Xavier Sierra, April 3: Sierra, 17, was killed in the 1000 block of East 11th Street, in an apparent shooting. Three women were also hospitalized with gunshot wounds in the same shooting. No suspects have yet been named in the case.
Scottie Sanders, April 24: Sanders, 28, was found dead in the 2600 block of Orman Avenue after police responded to reports of an unconscious person. No suspects have been identified in the case and the coroner has not released Sanders' cause of death. No suspects have yet been named.
Daedriean Ortega-Brisco, May 9: Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of East Second Street on a report that a person had been shot and found Ortega-Brisco, 19, dead at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound. No suspects have yet been named in the case.
Joshua Specht, May 22: Specht, 42, was found dead in the yard of a residence on the 2600 block of Poplar Street by police, who were responding to a call of shots fired in the area and a motorcycle crash near Illinois Avenue and Poplar Street. No suspects have yet been named in the case.
Michael Anthony Sandoval, June 11: Sandoval, 28, was found dead by police at approximately 6:35 p.m. after they were called to the 1100 block of Francisco Street on a report of a shooting. Police announced in early July that they'd issued an arrest warrant charging Edgar Earl Darden with murder. Darden was arrested on Aug. 27 by police.
Jordan Robinson, June 19: Robinson was discovered dead in a vehicle in the 1000 block of East River Street, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a coroner investigator. No suspects have yet been named in the case.
Russel Edward Kuklies, June 27: Kuklies, 40, was shot and killed at the Val-U-Stay Inn and Suites on North Hudson Avenue. Officers responded to the scene just after 8 p.m. the night of June 27 and found Kuklies deceased on scene. Police are seeking help identifying suspects in the homicide.
Marcos Colunga-Gaona, June 28: Colunga-Gaona, 25, was found unresponsive by police with a gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Lambert Avenue on the night of June 28 after neighbors in the area called police to report shots fired. Colunga-Gaona was pronounced dead by a coroner investigator. Police arrested a juvenile suspect and charged them with second-degree murder on Nov. 9.
Lazarus Vigil, June 28: Police were called to the scene of a car crash and fire in the 500 block of Mesa Avenue. When officers arrived, they found an adult male, identified later as Vigil, inside the vehicle with gunshot wounds. Vigil was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries. A 13-year-old has been arrested in connection to Vigil's death, although the suspect has not been publicly named due to his age.
Sabino Loya-Armendariz, July 3: Loya-Armendariz, 25, was found dead by Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies after suffering gunshot wounds in the 1300 block of Tampico Street. No arrest have been made.
Marcos Baca, July 4: Police were called to the 0-100 block of Amherst Avenue and arrived to find Baca, 29, dead at the scene. Pueblo police arrested Baca's uncle, William Montoya, and charged him with first-degree murder after he allegedly admitted to the shooting.
Vincent Smith, July 24: Smith was shot and killed outside of his home on 2000 block of East Evans Avenue. Police arrested Russell Martinez in connection to Smith's death.
Unnamed teenager, July 25: Less than eight hours after Smith's murder, Pueblo police were called to the skate park in City Park on another report of shots fired and found a teenager, who has not been publicly identified, dead. No arrests have been made.
Franklin Bruner, July 29: Bruner was shot and killed in the 1000 block of Berkley Avenue. His dog was also shot during the incident and had to be euthanized as a result of its injuries. The suspect in the case, Robert James Rudichar, was arrested in Las Vegas, New Mexico on July 31. He's been charged with first-degree murder.
Larry Derrick Maes, Aug. 4: Maes was found dead in a white SUV with a single gunshot wound after sheriff’s deputies were called to a report of a vehicle wreck in the 1700 block of Tenderfoot Lane in Pueblo West. No suspects have been named in the case
Keith Quinn, Aug. 13: Quinn, 38, of Pueblo, was discovered dead in a parking lot near 45 Bonnymede Road. No suspects have been named in the case.
Jason Trujillo, Aug. 24: Trujillo was shot and killed during a multi-victim shooting in the 1200 block of Berwind Avenue. Three additional victims arrived at an area hospital via a private vehicle, according to Pueblo PD, two of whom were then transported to another hospital in Colorado Springs with life-threatening injuries, but survived. No suspects have been named.
Franky Montoya, Aug. 30: Montoya, 34, died after being shot several times at a residence in the 1800 block of East 17th Street. No arrests have been made in the case.
Christopher Salazar, Sept. 21: Salazar, 29, was shot and killed, allegedly by Steven Vigil in an altercation outside of a liquor store on Sept. 21. Vigil has been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
Oliveah Fransua, Nov. 1: Fransua, 14, was shot and killed the night of Halloween, allegedly by her 15-year-old boyfriend, Fransua's mother told the Chieftain. A juvenile has been arrested in the case.
Angelo Isahia Rodgers, Nov 29: Rodgers, 22, was killed by gunshot wounds in the 0-100 block of Wheatridge Drive in the early morning hours of Nov. 29. No suspects have yet been identified in the case.
Christopher Trujillo, Dec. 5: Trujillo, 19, was shot the evening of Dec. 4, and later died of his injuries. No arrests have been made.
Thomas Maurriz Milian, Dec. 6: Milian, 36, was found with a gunshot wound at the Rodeway Inn and was transported to a local hospital where he was later declared dead. No arrests have been made.
More on the public safety beat: Pueblo set a new record for auto thefts in 2023. Here's what to know
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Police investigating city's 26th homicide after man shot and killed
