On February 5, 2021, 57-year-old Anthony Vasquez was fatally shot while inside his recreational vehicle in Roswell, New Mexico. The incident occurred in the early morning hours as Vasquez slept in the RV, which was parked on South Missouri Avenue. His girlfriend was present during the shooting but was unharmed. Multiple bullets were fired into the RV, and Vasquez was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Roswell Police Department launched an
investigation into the homicide and, on February 16, 2021, arrested 25-year-old Jeffrey Contreras in connection with the murder. Contreras was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities allege that Contreras drove to the RV park with another individual and fired multiple shots into Vasquez's RV before fleeing the scene. The firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was later recovered at a relative's apartment in Albuquerque.
Investigators suspect that the motive behind Vasquez's murder was to prevent him from providing information to law enforcement about another homicide in which both Contreras and Vasquez were allegedly involved. The Chaves County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation of that separate case. At the time of his arrest, Contreras was being held at the Chaves County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond for the murder charge, in addition to separate bonds for other charges.
