EDGEWATER, Colo. — The family of 33-year-old Adam Fresquez, who was shot and killed at a Tesla charging station in Edgewater in May, held a candlelight vigil outside the Edgewater City Council chambers Tuesday night as they continue to fight for answers in the case.
Seven months later, no arrests have been made.
“When this man killed Adam, he took a piece of us,” said Adam’s mom, Lena Fresquez Mendez. “I mean, literally every day, it’s a struggle.”
Fresquez Mendez and her family face new challenges with every new day.
“Tomorrow is my birthday, and Adam would be the one to wait up until midnight and wish me a happy birthday and tell me how much he loves me,” Fresquez Mendez said. “And I’m kind of dreading it. I’ve been dreading it.”
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According to the Edgewater Police Department, an argument between Fresquez and another man escalated to a shooting at the Tesla charging station. An autopsy revealed Fresquez was shot in the back twice. It also revealed Fresquez had trace amounts of cocaine and fentanyl in his system.
“He was not perfect,” said Fresquez Mendez. “No one is. But he was a good person. He had a good heart. The drugs did not kill him. The fact that he was shot in the back twice is what killed Adam.”
The shooter fled the scene but then turned himself into authorities later that day.
The family said there have been a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies throughout the investigation.
“It’s infuriating because that’s unheard of,” said Adam’s sister, Crystal Fresquez. “When do you hear of someone committing a crime just like he’s done — macing and shooting my brother, not once, but twice in the back, fleeing the scene, calling 911 30 to 45 minutes later and not being arrested?”
“I would think that he would have to go through the process of being bonded out or bailed out,” said Fresquez Mendez.
“The Edgewater police failed us,” Crystal said. “Failed the community and failed my brother. The police and the DA know who the shooter is, but we as a family don’t. So it’s frustrating because we personally feel like we have that right to know who murdered my brother.”
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For now, the Fresquez family is continuing its fight for justice.
“We’re not asking for special treatment from the police department,” Fresquez Mendez said. “We’re just asking for a fair investigation and that’s it. That’s all we’ve ever asked for and we were never given that.”
“My siblings are my world,” Crystal said. “My nieces and nephews are my world. They’re everything to me.”
In a statement, Edgewater Chief of Police Eric Sonstegard said the case has been presented to the First Judicial District Attorney's Office.
“The Fresquez homicide case has been presented to the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office and no charges have been filed against the shooter. The name of the shooter has not been released yet. I’m confident that will happen when a filing decision is reached. That individual was brought to the Edgewater Police Station on the day of the incident (5/3/23). He was detained but not arrested,” Sonstegard said.
