On a rainy Sunday night in February 2018, 22-year-old Christian Huertas Hernandez, a Hispanic male, was walking home from his job at Price Rite in Central Falls, Rhode Island. He was just 200 feet from his front door on Richardson Street when the sound of four or five gunshots echoed through the neighborhood, a sound his own mother heard from inside their home. Christian never made it home. He was found on the ground with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The date was February 11, 2018.
Friends and family were left devastated and in disbelief, remembering Christian as a talented, smart, and good-hearted young man who enjoyed sports and had previously volunteered with local youth programs. He was a graduate of Central Falls High School and was described as a dedicated and caring employee. In the days following his death, loved ones gathered for a candlelight vigil, leaving balloons and messages at the spot where he was killed. The mayor of Central Falls expressed his sadness, noting Christian's positive impact on the community's youth.
The Central Falls Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide, quickly coming to believe that Christian was not the intended target. Detectives theorized that his death was a tragic case of mistaken identity. Despite their efforts, which included scouring surveillance footage from the area, the person or people responsible for Christian's death have never been captured.
Investigators did identify a suspect vehicle, a gold or silver Infiniti manufactured between 2000 and 2004. They have appealed to the public for any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. Christian's case is featured in a deck of cold case playing cards, an initiative by law enforcement to generate new leads in unsolved crimes. His father has publicly pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, expressing that while it will not bring his only son back, it would bring the family a measure of justice and peace to know that Christian did not die in vain. As of now, no arrests have been made, and the case remains an unsolved homicide.
