On the evening of July 28, 2025, 27-year-old Joshua Williams was shot and killed while taking a nightly walk through Rotary Park in Bernalillo, New Mexico, with his boyfriend, Chris. The couple had only recently moved to the area, having settled in a nearby neighborhood just two weeks prior to the fatal incident. The shooting, which marked the first homicide in Bernalillo for the year, prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhoods as police began their search for
the assailant. Williams, a male, was pronounced dead at the scene.
His companion, Chris, was also shot twice during the attack but survived his injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he was initially in the intensive care unit before his condition stabilized. From his hospital bed, he provided investigators with a description of the shooter: a man approximately six feet tall with a slim build, who was wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans with a whitewashed front, and a black ski mask that concealed his face. This masked gunman reportedly fled the park on foot immediately after the shooting.
In the wake of the attack, the family of Joshua Williams has publicly expressed their belief that the shooting was a premeditated hate crime. This assertion is based on the fact that the attacker was wearing a mask and was armed, and also due to a chilling detail provided by the surviving victim. Chris reported seeing a second individual standing nearby with a gas can, leading the family to believe the original intention was to shoot and then set fire to the victims. Law enforcement officials have stated that while they have no evidence to support the claim of a hate crime, they have enlisted the resources of the FBI to assist in the ongoing investigation.
Joshua Williams was remembered by his family as a kind and compassionate person. He worked as a nurse at Serenity Mesa, a facility dedicated to helping teenagers overcome addiction and other challenges. A memorial plaque has since been placed at his workplace in his honor. As of late August 2025, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder, and the suspect remains at large. Investigators are continuing to appeal to the public for any information or surveillance footage that might lead to the identification and capture of the person responsible for this tragic event.
