In the early morning hours of December 6, 2015, Andres Soto Jr., a 20-year-old male, was standing outside on Oxford Circle in Lexington, Kentucky, when his life was tragically cut short. Just before 3:30 a.m., he was struck by a gunshot wound. Emergency services arrived to find him on the street, and he was quickly transported to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Soto succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The incident marked the city's 17th homicide of the year.
The Lexington police immediately began their investigation, initially searching for a white van that was believed to be connected to the shooting. In the days that followed, their investigation led them to a suspect, a 15-year-old named Christopher Bravo. Bravo was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and tampering with evidence in connection to the death of Andres Soto Jr. The investigation revealed no evidence to suggest that Soto knew the person who shot him. He had been with his cousin near a food truck at the time of the incident.
Ultimately, Christopher Bravo, who was 16 at the time of sentencing, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and tampering with evidence. He received a sentence of 11 years of incarceration, with 10 years for the manslaughter charge and one year for tampering with evidence. The tragic irony of the situation was not lost on those who knew Andres Soto Jr. He had once been involved in a gang but had turned his life around and dreamed of becoming a counselor to help at-risk youth avoid the path of violence that ultimately claimed his own life.
