In the early morning hours of June 29, 2019, a dispute on the grounds of a Colorado Springs school tragically cut short the life of 22-year-old Diego Cruz-Aceves. The young man was a resident of Colorado Springs, born in the city on October 23, 1996.
Just before 5 a.m., an altercation broke out between two groups of people on the running track of the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy. During the course of this confrontation, gunshots were fired.
When police responded to reports of the shooting, they discovered a grim scene. Another young man, 18-year-old Kevin Santana-Villa, was found deceased on the track field.
A short distance away, in the 4000 block of East Bijou Street, officers found Diego Cruz-Aceves suffering from grave injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Cruz-Aceves succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
In the weeks that followed the deadly shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department launched a homicide investigation. Their efforts led to the identification of a suspect, and on July 23, 2019, an arrest warrant was issued. A 17-year-old male was taken into custody on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of both Diego Cruz-Aceves and Kevin Santana-Villa. Due to his age, the name of the suspect was not publicly released by authorities at the time of his arrest.
