Christian Alexander Rodriguez-Barroso, an 18-year-old from Springdale, Arkansas, died on February 16, 2024, as a result of a shooting incident at Lake Fayetteville. The shooting occurred after 11 p.m. on February 15, when officers from the Fayetteville Police Department were dispatched to the Lake Fayetteville Environmental Studies Center. Upon arrival, they found Rodriguez-Barroso dead and four others injured with gunshot wounds.
The incident was part of a larger altercation involving a
large number of cars and people gathered near the lake for a fight. Video footage showed people running away to their cars as guns were fired during the altercation. According to witnesses, Jose Casillas, 20, from Tontitown, was seen yelling at individuals while pointing an AR-15 style gun at their faces, threatening to kill them one by one.
Casillas admitted to police that he had an AR-15-style weapon at the lake and fired it toward a vehicle that was shooting at him. However, when his vehicle hit a bump, he dropped the gun. Casillas has been charged with terroristic threatening, aggravated assault, and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and has pleaded not guilty.
In addition to Casillas, other individuals have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Gilberto Gordillo, 19, was the first to be arrested and is charged with capital murder and four counts of attempted murder. Alberto Esteban-Cruz, 21, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and related charges. Pablo Garcia, 20, was arrested later and is accused of hindering apprehension or prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and other charges.
Christian Alexander Rodriguez-Barroso was born on June 2, 2005, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His death is part of an ongoing investigation by the Fayetteville Police Department.
