Jaime H. De La Fuente, age 58, a Hispanic man, died on July 24, 2025 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Born in Matamoros, Mexico, Jaime H. De La Fuente built his life in Rocky Mount, remembered by family and friends as warm and quick to help, with deep ties to the community and to his children. Late that Thursday afternoon, police were called to Sunset Park on North Taylor Street after reports of gunfire; officers found Jaime H.
De La Fuente inside a vehicle, shot multiple times, and he was taken to UNC Nash Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Witness accounts and police statements described sudden violence in a public place that sent families running for cover. According to investigators, after the shooting in the park, a 47-year-old man identified by police as Calvin Conyers fled on foot to the parking lot of Chico's Mexican Restaurant on Sunset Avenue, where he brandished a gun and tried to carjack a vehicle occupied by a woman and a child. In the midst of the attempted carjacking, police say the suspect shot himself; paramedics transported him to a hospital in critical condition. Officers also located a fourth victim connected to the incident who suffered minor injuries and was treated and released by EMS, sharpening the portrait of a chaotic scene that stretched from the park to the nearby restaurant.
Police emphasized that the violence appeared isolated, not a random spree. By the following day, authorities said the suspect faced a slate of charges tied to the events: first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of second-degree kidnapping, among others. The charges centered on the killing of Jaime H. De La Fuente, the attempted carjacking involving the woman and child, and the wider danger posed to bystanders. While the suspect remained hospitalized, investigators appealed for tips as they reconstructed the timeline from the first shots at Sunset Park to the desperate flight toward Sunset Avenue.
Beyond the crime-scene tape and court filings, the loss reverberated across Rocky Mount. Obituaries and memorial notices marked the dates of Jaime H. De La Fuente's life and death, recalling a father and friend whose presence anchored gatherings and whose cooking and laughter stitched together family occasions. Community posts and memorial pages noted the shock of his killing and the suddenness with which an ordinary summer evening turned tragic, underscoring how quickly violence can ripple through a town and the families who call it home.
