2015-12-21 Vasquez

Murder of Roberto Guadalupe Vasquez – Southeast Amarillo Homicide

Roberto Guadalupe Vasquez, 27, was fatally shot on Monday, December 21, 2015, at a residence in Southeast Amarillo. The Amarillo Police Department's Special Crimes Unit investigated the homicide and developed information about two suspects responsible for Vasquez's murder.^[1]

Incident

According to police, they were dispatched to a rear house at 1736 S.E. 8th Ave. on Monday, December 21, around 9 p.m. The call was regarding a man who had been shot. When officers arrived, they found 27-year-old Roberto Guadalupe Vasquez in the back house with a gunshot wound to the upper body.

Police said Vasquez was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

During the first part of their investigation, officers determined Vasquez had been shot near the front house at 1736 S.E. 8th Ave., and Special Crimes investigators were led to believe a person who had information about the shooting was still inside the house. When they attempted to contact the person inside the home, no one would answer the door.

APD SWAT was called to assist in searching the house. Police said SWAT, along with deputies from the Randall County Sheriff's Office Hard Entry and Tactical Team, eventually contacted the person inside the home. That person was questioned by investigators.

Suspect Descriptions

As they continued their investigation into the Monday night homicide, Amarillo police said they developed information about two suspects responsible for the murder of Vasquez.

APD said one suspect is described as:

• A black male
• About 5'8" tall
• Thin build
• Wearing a dark hoodie

The second suspect was described as:

• Possibly a black male
• Taller than the other suspect
• Thin build
• Wearing tan pants
• Armed with a black handgun

Police said this was all the information they had about the suspects at this time.

Autopsy

According to police, Justice of the Peace Debbie Horn ordered an autopsy. The autopsy was performed on Tuesday, December 22, in Lubbock.

Investigation Status

APD said the investigation was ongoing and no arrests were made at the time of the initial reports.

Police asked anyone with information about this case to contact Special Crimes at (806) 378-9468 or Amarillo Crime Stoppers at (806) 374-4400.

Later Developments

According to later reports from July 2018, Amarillo police arrested two more suspects in the 2015 shooting death, bringing the total to four suspects in the shooting death of 27-year-old Roberto Guadalupe Vasquez in December 2015. Two of the suspects were juvenile males, ages 15 and 16 at the time of the offense.

Case Timeline

• December 21, 2015 (Monday): Shooting occurs around 9 p.m. at 1736 S.E. 8th Ave.
• December 22, 2015 (Tuesday): Autopsy performed in Lubbock; suspect descriptions released
• July 2018: Additional arrests made; four total suspects identified in the case