In the early morning hours of June 18, 2022, the life of 28-year-old Hispanic/Latino male Alfredo Campa-Vasquez was tragically cut short in Topeka, Kansas. At approximately 3:12 a.m., police were dispatched to the 700 block of S.E. Branner Street following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Campa-Vasquez suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Originally from Benito Juarez Nazaz in Durango, Mexico, Campa-Vasquez had made Topeka his home for the last decade. He was known by loved ones as someone who enjoyed fishing and good food, but his greatest joy was spending time with his four children: daughters Iliana, Emadalyn, and Laveya, and son, Joel. He was employed at Turf Masters in the nearby city of Lawrence. His passing left his parents, four brothers, and his children in deep mourning.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to a suspect. On the same day as the incident, police arrested 30-year-old Nancy P. Cervantes, also a resident of Topeka. She was taken into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Jail that afternoon. Cervantes faced a charge of unintentional but reckless second-degree murder and was held without bond.
Authorities did not immediately release further details about the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting or the nature of the relationship between Campa-Vasquez and Cervantes. The investigation remained ongoing as the community grieved the sudden and violent loss of a young father. His family held a Mass of Christian Burial for him on June 30, 2022, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, followed by his interment at Mount Hope Cemetery.
