On a Saturday afternoon in Longmont, Colorado, the life of 13-year-old Isaiah 'Zay' Miguel Rosales was tragically cut short. On August 20, 2022, he was at Kensington Park with his 15-year-old cousin, enjoying a game of basketball. What began as a typical day took a devastating turn when a car drove by and unleashed a barrage of at least ten gunshots. Isaiah was struck in the chest and fatally wounded, while his cousin suffered a gunshot to the leg.
A third individual with them was unharmed.
The Longmont community was left in shock and mourning. Friends and family gathered at the park for a candlelight vigil, remembering a boy who was just a week away from his fourteenth birthday. They described him as someone who was always making people laugh. The raw grief of his family was palpable as they prepared for a funeral instead of a birthday celebration. The community rallied around them, leaving behind balloons, candles, and prayers at the basketball court where he spent his final moments.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Longmont police quickly located a silver Ford Focus matching the description of the suspect's vehicle. The driver, 19-year-old Yahir Solis, was arrested within ten minutes of the incident. Inside his car, authorities discovered a handgun and a bullet or shell casing. An investigation into the motive for the shooting suggested a connection to a gang altercation that had occurred previously at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. According to an arrest warrant, members of one gang had been sending threatening messages via Instagram.
Yahir Solis was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, as well as charges of assault with a deadly weapon, illegal firearm discharge, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief. While witnesses could not definitively identify Solis as the shooter, they did identify his vehicle. He was booked into the Boulder County Jail and held without bond.
