On a late spring evening in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the life of 28-year-old Hispanic male, Ross Romero, was tragically cut short. On May 26, 2018, Romero, a corrections officer and a father to two children, had stopped to help a friend who was having trouble with a flat tire near the interchange of I-25 and Jefferson Street. What began as an act of kindness soon spiraled into a violent confrontation that would end in his death.
While Romero and his friend were attending to the disabled
vehicle, another car arrived carrying three individuals. An altercation quickly erupted, during which one of the newcomers, later identified as Adrian Armstrong, allegedly attacked Romero's friend with brass knuckles, causing serious injuries. In the midst of the assault, Romero attempted to get a firearm from his own vehicle, presumably to defend himself and his friend. It was at this moment that another individual from the arriving party fired a gun, fatally wounding Romero.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Albuquerque Police Department launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Adrian Armstrong. However, the charges against Armstrong were for aggravated battery in connection with the assault on Romero's friend. He was not charged with Romero's murder as investigators did not identify him as the shooter. The individual who fired the fatal shot remains unidentified, and no further arrests have been made in connection with the homicide of Ross Romero, leaving his family and community still seeking justice for his untimely death.
