Steven Salazar was a 28-year-old Hispanic/Latino man from Denver, Colorado, remembered by those close to him as kind, caring, easygoing and uplifting, with a priceless smile and a protective presence in his family’s life. Friends and relatives writing on online memorials describe how he worked warehouse jobs, spent time with loved ones, and collected affectionate nicknames like “Scooby” and “Stevie weeve the turtle,” painting a picture of someone whose warmth and humor drew people in
and made them feel looked after.
On the night of July 28, 2022, ordinary routines in his east Denver neighborhood were broken by violence. Around 8:30 to 8:55 p.m., police were called to the 5700 block of East 10th Avenue, near Mayfair Park in the Montclair/Hale area, after reports of a shooting. Officers arrived to find Steven inside his home with at least one gunshot wound. He was rushed to the hospital, but despite emergency treatment, he died overnight, and the case was quickly classified as a homicide.
In the hours that followed, investigators secured the home and surrounding streets, beginning the slow work of reconstructing what had happened inside a place that should have been safe. Early news reports noted that detectives were still developing suspect information and that the victim’s name would be released only after his family had been notified. In the days that followed, the medical examiner confirmed his identity publicly as Steven Jake Salazar of Denver, and funeral notices announced services at a local chapel where family and friends could gather to grieve and share memories.
As the investigation progressed, attention turned toward someone shockingly close to Steven. By late September 2022, Denver police and local media identified a 17-year-old named Jerome Salazar as the suspect in the killing, saying he was wanted on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting inside the East 10th Avenue home. Authorities revealed that Jerome and Steven were brothers, a detail that added another layer of heartbreak for the family as they faced the loss of one son and the pursuit of another in the same tragedy. Crime alerts urged anyone who saw Jerome to call 911, warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
To generate tips, the Denver Police Department and Metro Denver Crime Stoppers issued a formal crime alert poster offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to Jerome’s capture, specifying that the homicide under investigation was the one that occurred in the 5700 block of East 10th Avenue on July 28, 2022. Years later, in January 2025, Denver police publicly renewed their appeal for help, releasing updated photos and identifying him again as the suspect in the 2022 fatal shooting, underscoring that the case remained unsolved. Nonprofit case trackers likewise note that Jerome is still at large as of early 2025, and there is no public record that he has been arrested or charged in court for Steven’s death, leaving the homicide an open investigation.
In the absence of an arrest, the emotional weight of the case has settled heavily on those who knew Steven. On memorial pages, relatives write about lighting candles for him, talking late into the night about the good times they shared, and struggling to understand how someone could take his life. They remember him as their protector, someone whose presence made them feel safer, and they speak of holidays, birthdays and ordinary days that now feel incomplete without him. Online tributes and hashtags calling for justice continue to appear, reflecting a community that has not allowed his name to fade even as the official investigation stretches on. For his family and friends, the story of Steven Salazar is not only about the night he was killed in his own home, but about the unanswered questions and the enduring hope that the person responsible will one day be brought to justice.
