On the evening of September 19, 2020, a confrontation on West First Street in Deming, New Mexico, ended when 36-year-old Hispanic man Roland Valenzuela was shot multiple times. Officers responded to reports of shots fired at about 8:29 p.m.; Valenzuela was taken to Mimbres Memorial Hospital and died of his wounds. Two other men were also struck: Patricio Martinez and a neighbor who was evacuating his family from a nearby front porch. A separate neighbor said she encountered Martinez brandishing a handgun before going inside.

The Deming Police Department identified 18-year-old Patricio Patrick Martinez as the primary suspect and arrested him on December 2, 2020, on a warrant. He was initially charged with second-degree murder in Valenzuela’s death and aggravated assault for the other wounded men. In April 2023 Martinez pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a fourth-degree felony; the murder charge was dismissed as part of that agreement and a judge accepted the plea. Martinez was awaiting sentencing under GPS monitoring.

If anyone knew Roland Valenzuela or witnessed the shooting that night, can you share what you remember?