Caden Eric Randolph was 11 when he was shot and killed in Fruitvale, a neighborhood of Grand Junction, Colorado, on November 12, 2016. A sixth grade student at Grand Mesa Middle School, he liked the outdoors, riding his bike, fishing, remote control cars and planes, and collecting Pokemon. Family and neighbors remembered him as helpful and well-liked; his mother described him as an overachiever and an excellent kid.

The shooting prompted a police investigation and a small memorial was created by friends and family. The next day, 41-year-old Jeremy Mushrush of Grand Junction was taken into custody on felony manslaughter and attempting to influence a public servant charges, plus a misdemeanor weapons charge; he was not related to the victim. Mushrush initially gave a statement to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and later agreed to turn himself in. The court sealed the case file, and specific details about what led to the shooting and the relationship between Mushrush and Caden were not publicly disclosed.