Zachery Ryan Smith, 19, a White male, was found on October 19, 2025, inside a Breckenridge apartment with a gunshot wound to the head. Police responded to the Conquistador Apartments on West Elliott Street, where they confirmed his identity and began canvassing for information. An autopsy was performed, but as of the initial reports the cause and manner of death remained pending with the medical examiner, and detectives emphasized that they were still collecting interviews and evidence.
In the days that followed, Breckenridge’s police chief said investigators had spoken with several people and that those individuals were cooperating. Authorities did not announce any arrests, name a suspect, or release details about a possible motive, leaving the investigation open while laboratory and autopsy results were awaited. Public-facing incident logs that recorded the shooting at the Conquistador Apartments supported that timeline without indicating any apprehensions tied to the case.
Family notices remembered Zachery as “Slim,” a young man born March 8, 2006, in Las Vegas who had recently made his home in Breckenridge. Plans were set for a memorial at CC Farms with JB Sparks officiating, offering a community space to gather and mourn as the investigation continued in the background. These tributes, appearing alongside local news coverage, painted a picture of a 19-year-old whose life was cut short before he could see what came next.
