In the early morning hours of September 20, 2020, gunfire erupted at a crowded house party in the 3100 block of Orson Avenue in Clifton, Colorado. Responding deputies found 20-year-old Hugo Pablo Rodriguez with a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a hospital and, after several months of treatment, died from complications of that wound on January 14, 2021.

Hugo grew up in Fruita and graduated from Fruita Monument High School. Investigators say an alcohol-fueled argument at the party escalated, handguns were drawn and shots were fired. Between 50 and 100 people are believed to have been at the gathering, but many attendees have refused to cooperate, which investigators say has hindered progress in the homicide investigation.

As of the third anniversary of the shooting, no arrests or public identifications of suspects have been announced. Anyone with information about who shot Hugo Pablo Rodriguez is asked to contact the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Mesa County.