In a tragic turn of events on a Sunday afternoon, 15-year-old Robert James Sandoval, a Hispanic male known to his loved ones as 'R.J.,' was fatally shot in an alley on Pueblo's lower east side. The incident occurred on December 8, 2019, near the 1700 block of East Ash Street. Sandoval, who was from Walsenburg, was in Pueblo visiting his girlfriend and her family at the time.
His family described him as a loving and compassionate person with a 'heart of gold,' who enjoyed camping, rapping, and spending time with his family and friends. At the time of his death, his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting left a community in shock and a family pleading for justice. Early in the investigation, Pueblo police released descriptions of two potential suspects, both described as Hispanic males in their late teens who were seen running from the alley after the shots were fired. One was said to be of a thin build, wearing a gray Nike hoodie, while the other was also described as thin with a light complexion and wearing dark clothing. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, though police were exploring whether it was gang or drug-related.
A significant breakthrough in the case came nearly a year later, on December 3, 2020, when the Pueblo Police Department announced the arrests of two suspects. Sabino Valles, 19, and Jesse Romero, 20, were taken into custody and faced felony murder charges. It was revealed that the three individuals knew each other, and Sandoval had reportedly gone to the alley to exchange a gun for cash. Instead, the exchange turned deadly, and Sandoval was shot and killed. His girlfriend was nearby at the time of the shooting and held him in her arms as his life slipped away.
In January 2022, Sabino Valles was sentenced to six years in the Youthful Offender System for his role in Sandoval's death. The sentencing hearing was an emotional event, leading to a physical altercation between the families of the victim and the suspect outside the Dennis Maes Judicial Building, which resulted in the arrest of two women. The investigation into the precise reasons why the shots were fired in the alley that day continued, even after the arrests, as law enforcement sought to bring a full measure of closure to a case that had deeply affected the community.
