On a summer evening in Denver, Colorado, tragedy struck a teenage boy named Martin 'Marty' Martinez. The 14-year-old male was at a neighbor's house in the 3500 block of Clay Street on July 21, 1976. While on the porch, several gunshots rang out, and Martin was struck by one of the bullets, resulting in his death.
At the time of the incident, Martinez was walking home around 11:30 p.m. after spending the evening at Elitch Gardens.
He had stopped at a party at his former neighbor's home to talk with people he knew. He had only been at the party for a few minutes when a group of individuals, believed to have been kicked out of the party earlier, allegedly ran by and fired several shots at the partygoers on the front porch. Investigators do not believe Martinez was the intended target.
In the immediate aftermath and for years to follow, the Denver Police Department investigated the homicide. However, the case grew cold as witnesses were uncooperative at the time of the murder. Despite their efforts, authorities have not been able to identify the person or persons responsible for Martin Martinez's death, and no arrests have ever been made in connection with the shooting. The case officially remains unsolved, and it is now considered a cold case. The Denver Police Department's Cold Case Unit continues to seek information that might lead to a breakthrough in the decades-old investigation.
