On a summer afternoon in Raton, New Mexico, the life of 33-year-old Jacob D. Salas was cut short. On July 24, 2015, police responded to a call from the Sommerset Apartments on State Street. There, in the doorway of an apartment, they found Jacob bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to his upper right leg, near the groin. Officers administered first aid until emergency medical services arrived and transported him to Miners Colfax Medical Center, but his injuries proved fatal.
The
investigation quickly pointed to 19-year-old Flavio Rodriguez as the suspect in the shooting. An arrest warrant was issued, charging him with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and child abuse. A search for Rodriguez, who was described as 5'5" tall with blue eyes, began. He was last seen on the afternoon of the shooting wearing blue jeans and a white shirt.
The day after the fatal shooting, on Saturday, July 25th, Flavio Rodriguez turned himself in to the Raton Police Department without incident. He was subsequently held at the Vigil-Maldonado Detention Center on a one million dollar cash bond. The specific details of the events that led to the confrontation between Rodriguez and Salas were not made publicly available.
Jacob Salas, a United States Army veteran who had served two tours in Iraq and spent three years in Alaska, was a father to six children: Jeremiah, Syriah, Kasey, Mia, Cameron, and Jacoby. His family, including his parents, sisters, and a brother, were left to mourn the sudden and violent loss of a man they remembered as a loving family member.
