Erik Sarmiento Rodriguez

Erik Sarmiento Rodriguez had a passion for trucks, a love he expressed with his hands and his heart. The 19-year-old from Denver, Colorado, could take a truck and rebuild it from the ground up, a skill he was so passionate about that he inspired those around him. One friend, Andrea Montoya, was so influenced by his dedication that she decided to pursue a career as a mechanic. She remembered his persistence, saying, "He would never stop doing what he loved. Even when things would get hard, like life would go downhill for him, he would never stop." Erik's brother continues to drive his truck to this day, a rolling memorial to a life cut tragically short.

On the night of October 27, 2021, that life came to a violent end. At around 9 p.m., a spray of gunfire erupted in a parking lot in the 4800 block of East 62nd Avenue, near Vasquez Boulevard in Commerce City. When officers from the Commerce City Police Department arrived, they found two young Hispanic men with gunshot wounds. One man, 20-year-old Luis Arzate Solis, was pronounced dead at the scene. Erik was critically injured and rushed to a local hospital. He fought for his life for several days before succumbing to his injuries.

The investigation into the double homicide began immediately. A week after the shooting, police announced they were seeking a person of interest who was known by the social media name “Ace Cozart.” Investigators released a photograph of the man and said he might be driving a blue or black truck. The public was asked for any information that could help locate him. However, as the Commerce City Police Department continued its investigation, detectives later determined that this individual had only minimal involvement in the shooting, and the lead did not result in an arrest.

In the aftermath of Erik's death, his family’s grief was compounded by a cruel and invasive crime. While his mother, Maria Rodriguez, and other family members were visiting his grave, their home was burglarized. Thieves ransacked the house, stealing watches, rings, and a bracelet that had belonged to Erik. Most painfully, they took all the money that had been donated by the community to help pay for his funeral expenses. "It feels like an insult to what we're already going through," his mother said of the violation.

As months turned into years, the case grew cold. No arrests have been made, and no other suspects have been publicly identified. The lack of progress has been agonizing for Erik's friends and family. They feel that his case has been largely forgotten and have pleaded for anyone with information to come forward. "I feel like he deserves his justice, and it's not fair that, I feel like, his case is kind of forgotten," his friend Andrea said in early 2023. "There has to be someone that saw something, so I just want people to come forward with it."

As of January 2023, the investigation into the murders of Erik Sarmiento Rodriguez and Luis Arzate Solis remains open but without any new public leads. The Commerce City Police Department continues to hold the case file, waiting for the piece of information that might finally bring a measure of closure to two grieving families. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call the Commerce City Police Department’s tip line at 303-289-3626 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.