Who killed James? On a warm summer evening in Pueblo, Colorado, James Albert Hamm, a 46-year-old white male, was out for a ride on his cherished motorcycle. A native of Pueblo, he was a sociable man who found joy in the simple things, like fixing cars and his job as a custodian for School District 60. June 15, 1991, was a Saturday, his usual night out, and he was looking forward to a pleasant evening.
As he was riding, Hamm approached the stop sign at the intersection of Beulah and West Arroyo Avenues.
After coming to a stop, he made a left turn onto Beulah. In that moment, the tranquil evening was shattered by the blast of a shotgun. Five shots were fired, striking Hamm and sending him to the pavement. A short distance away, his son, James Leroy Hamm, heard the gunfire and rushed to the scene. He discovered his father lying in the street near his motorcycle. Emergency services were called, and Hamm was transported to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on June 16, 1991.
His son later recounted seeing a vehicle make a sharp turn and speed away from the scene. Despite this, the case grew cold, and no arrests were ever made. The identity of the person or persons responsible for the shooting remains unknown, and the motive for the attack is still a mystery. The Pueblo Police Department continues to list the case as an unsolved homicide, leaving a family without answers and a community with the memory of a life cut short by violence.
