A drive-by shooting that killed a 13-year-old in Longmont may be related to gang activities and a fight at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, according to an arrest affidavit.
Yahir Solis, a 19-year-old Lafayette resident, was arrested on charges of First Degree Murder and Attempted First Degree Murder for the shooting that occured Saturday afternoon at Kensington Street and St. Clair Avenue near the basketball court.
A 13-year-old Longmont boy was shot and declared dead at the hospital, while a 15-year-old Longmont boy was shot in the leg and survived. The 13-year-old has not yet been identified by the Boulder County Coroner's Office.
According to the arrest affidavit, the two victims were walking through the park on their way to a friend’s house with a third person, whose name was redacted and police interviewed. That third party said they watched a silver-colored vehicle turn onto the street bordering the park and saw the driver lean toward the passenger window with a gun.
The boys tried to run as the driver began shooting. The third party was not injured.
The detective on scene found 10 empty shell casings on the street near Kensington and St. Clair Avenue and inspected a bullet hole in the door of a townhome nearby.
A witness reported that since a gang altercation at the Boulder County Fairgrounds involving “PBG” and “ESL” gang members, PBG members had been sending threats via Instagram. A father of one of the victims was later interviewed and provided a screenshot of an account that had been sending threats, who was later identified as Solis, according to the affidavit.
Longmont police officers found the vehicle matching witness descriptions of the shooting about six minutes after it occured, identifying Solis, who had a misdemeanor arrest warrant in Boulder County on shoplifting charges.
No witnesses could confirm whether Solis was the shooter, but they were able to confirm his vehicle was the same one involved in the shooting. Police later found the handgun involved in the shooting inside Solis’ vehicle, along with a shell casing or live round in the door sill area, according to police.
Solis declined to speak with investigators regarding the case, the affidavit said.
Longmont Public Safety said it is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drive-by shooting.
“We are working towards determining if, or what role, gangs played in this shooting,” spokesperson Robin Ericson said in a statement. “We are still interviewing individuals associated with this tragedy. We ask for your patience as we seek the source of this conflict.”
Ericson added that 20 years ago, Longmont had over 400 documented gang members. That number has since gone down to less than 50 known members.
“In recent months we have seen a slight uptick in tagging and graffiti, which could be potentially related (to increased gang activity),” Ericson said. “Most of the tagging and petty offenses involve middle and high school students.”
The police department repeated calls for peace in the community and emphasized that further violence is not the answer.
“In the immediate aftermath of this awful shooting, the Longmont Police Department responded very quickly and worked hard to determine what led to this tragic death,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “The work on this case will continue and, together with the Longmont Police Department, we will pursue justice for the victims and their loved ones.”
Solis was in court Wednesday for a hearing on advisement where he was officially charged with 13 crimes, including felony counts of first-degree murder and attempted first degree murder. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 28.
Longmont police encourage witnesses or those with surveillance video from the area to call the Longmont Public Safety tip line at 303-774-3700 and reference Longmont #22-7223.
