In Denver, Colorado, a 13-year-old boy has been detained for the fatal shooting of 60-year-old Richard Sanchez after an altercation on a public bus.
The dispute, which ended in Sanchez’s shooting, reportedly began over his leg blocking the bus aisle.
On January 27, 2024, at 6:41 p.m., Denver police responded to a shooting on a Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus near the intersection of South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue, about three miles from Empower Field at Mile High.
Sanchez was found with a gunshot wound and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Another person incurred minor injuries during the incident but was treated on the scene, police said.
The 13-year-old suspect was arrested under suspicion of first-degree murder on Thursday, February 1, less than a week after the incident. Charges are pending a decision from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
The victim’s grandson, Joseph Chavez, shared with reporters the profound loss felt by the family, saying that the loss was unreal and Sanchez was a happy person.
The grandson added, “I was truly devastated. It’s incomprehensible to me that this could happen to someone so genuine,” Chavez remarked.
He described the ordeal as difficult, noting the family was left in the dark about Sanchez’s whereabouts, only to find out he had been in the hospital all along without their knowledge. “He was alone in his final moments,” Chavez lamented.
The family of Sanchez revealed to the media that they were unaware of his passing until they filed a missing person report with the police several days afterward.
The arrest has prompted discussions on the safety of Denver’s public transit, with RTD records revealing that over 178 passengers reported assaults or injuries while using transit services in 2021 and early 2022.
