Roman Chavez, 49, a Hispanic/Latino male, died after a confrontation on Sunday evening, August 31, 2025, in Roswell, New Mexico. An obituary posted by a local funeral home confirmed his name and age, noting his death on that date.
Shortly before 7 p.m., in the 400 block of West 16th Street, an argument erupted between Chavez and a neighbor, Willie Fuentes, as Fuentes arrived on a bicycle to visit a relative nearby.
According to police, the dispute escalated when Chavez knocked over the bicycle, prompting Fuentes to step outside and fire a shot that did not hit Chavez. Chavez then retrieved a firearm and pointed it at Fuentes; both men exchanged gunfire, and Chavez was struck. Officers who responded found him unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the torso.
Detectives described the men as having past issues, calling them longtime adversaries. After the exchange, Fuentes remained at the scene and was taken into custody. Police said Chavez died of his injuries, and Fuentes, 62, was booked into the Chaves County Detention Center on a charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Public records of gun-violence victims and memorial listings corroborate the date and location of Chavez's death in Roswell. A community crime-victim registry also records his demographics and the circumstances of the shooting, aligning with the police account that a dispute preceded the fatal gunfire.
