On August 5, 2014, the life of 26-year-old Hispanic/Latino male Wenceslao Lozano was tragically cut short in a fatal shooting at the Elko Indian Colony in Nevada. The events of that evening unfolded in a friend's home where Lozano had just returned from work. The individual responsible, Thomas Caudill, 33, had entered the residence through a window, a behavior described as not unusual for him.
Caudill, who appeared to be intoxicated, was in a volatile state. He initially expressed suicidal intentions, asking his friend, Taryn Thomas, to videotape him taking his own life. He was armed with a gun and vacillated between pointing it at himself and at Thomas. The situation escalated dramatically when Lozano entered the room. Caudill then turned the weapon on Lozano, asking him to look at the gun before firing a single shot that struck Lozano in the body.
After being shot, Lozano lifted his shirt, revealing a bleeding wound. As Lozano ran from the house, Caudill reportedly apologized multiple times. Lozano collapsed outside the home, and while Caudill attempted to bring him back inside, his efforts were futile. Thomas's mother, who had been asleep in the living room, was awakened and called 911. Following the shooting, Caudill handed the gun, magazine, and bullets to Thomas, stating that he didn't want to do anything else stupid.
Thomas Caudill was arrested and charged with the murder of Wenceslao Lozano III. During his interrogation, he was uncooperative, at one point removing his blood-stained shirt and throwing it at investigators, saying, "That's my friend's blood." The investigation was led by the FBI, and federal charges were filed by the U.S. attorney's office because both Caudill and Lozano were members of the Elko Indian Colony and the crime occurred on federal reservation land. Caudill was held without bail and had a history of previous arrests in Elko.
