Update: Earlier this week, we reported about the July 31st death of seventeen-year-old Jorge Lopez-Ramirez and noted the relative dearth of attention given to the case; see our coverage below.
Now, however, there are welcome indications that the Denver Police Department is making the incident something of a priority by asking members of the public for assistance in finding the person or persons who ended the life of the teen, known to friends simply as Jorge Lopez.
The DPD has issued a bulletin featuring the photo seen at the top of this post.
In addition, the department has shared the following photo of Lowe's Mercado, the store near the intersection of Louisiana and Federal where his body was found.
The coroner determined that Jorge died of a fatal gunshot wound.
If you have any information about this homicide, you're encouraged to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867)
A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered in the case — and the release of the bulletin has resulted in more reports, including ones by 7News and CBS4.
We hope they help get the word out about a murder that doesn't deserve to fade into obscurity.
Continue for our previous coverage.
Original post, 6:50 a.m. August 4: A teenager dies a violent death in a busy part of Denver — and the incident makes hardly a ripple in the press.
Why?
That's a complicated question, and the answers aren't typically discussed in polite company.
But the likeliest possibilities are these: The victim, seventeen-year-old Jorge Lopez-Ramirez, was Hispanic; he had no social media presence that any journalist has been able to uncover thus far; no witnesses to the shooting have been found; and the police have no suspects.
We'd like to think the killing won't be unsolved — and a Denver police rep stresses that the investigation is ongoing. But as with the sad, lonely death of Antonio Alvarado Ruiz last month, few will be surprised if no one is brought to justice for the crime.
The incident took place on Friday evening, July 31, with first official word coming via this Denver Police Department tweet:
#DPD: Investigating a shooting in the area of Federal & Louisiana. Victim transported. No suspect info. Updates posted as available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 1, 2015
The area near the location can be seen in the following interactive graphic.If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
A subsequent DPD tweet offered a grim update:
UPDATE: Shooting on Federal & Louisiana. Male victim was pronounced. No suspect info. Details posted as available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 1, 2015
A few news agencies briefly covered the shooting. For instance, 7News devoted 24 seconds to it:
The station also updated its post by adding Lopez-Ramirez's name after it was released by the Denver coroner's office yesterday. (Cause of death: gunshot wound.)
The Denver Post published a brief, too. But that was about it — and there's not much more to the story right now, at least from a law-enforcement perspective.
According to Technician Raquel Lopez, a Denver Police Department spokeswoman, Lopez-Ramirez's body was found in a parking lot and no witnesses to the shooting have been found to date.
In addition, no motive for the crime has been discovered and no suspects have been identified, she said.
"We're still investigating," Lopez told us. "But that's all I can tell you right now."
That leaves the grief no doubt being experienced by Lopez-Ramirez's friends, family and loved ones, to whom we offer our sincere condolences, and a mystery that continues to linger.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.