More than 100 people marched Friday afternoon in 90-degree heat on parking-lot blacktop outside the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, chanting, carrying signs and demanding justice for a young man — a father of two — who was shot dead in Edgewater.
Adam Michael Fresquez, 33, was fatally shot May 3 in the Edgewater Public Market parking lot near a Tesla charging station. No charges have been filed in the case, although authorities have interviewed the man who shot Fresquez.
Police previously said both men were driving Teslas and got into a fight at the charging station prior to the shooting, an altercation they said could have stemmed from a road-rage incident.
Family members, friends, community supporters, seniors and children gathered in Golden to demand accountability in the case.
“We are looking for justice and we want some answers,” said Juan Mendez, Fresquez’s father.
“We don’t understand how he was released two hours after shooting Adam in a parking lot and leaving him there to die,” said Lena Mendez, his mother.
The suspected shooter, who has not been publicly identified, left the scene of the incident and called 911. He was interviewed by Edgewater police and released.
“This has been terrible,” Lena Mendez said. “It’s the worst thing a mother can have happen.”
Family members said Friday that with no criminal charges, they’ve been struggling, seeking answers from police and prosecutors with little to no cooperation from authorities.
“We’ve not had time to mourn,” Lena Mendez said. “We want answers.”
Alexander Landau, of the Denver Justice Project, an organizer of the rally, described the police investigation as “incredibly drawn out” and that there’s “disparity… based on race.”
“We are trying to get accountability for the murder of a loved one, a young man, a community member,” Landau said.
Many people in the crowd wore white T-shirts with black lettering spelling out: Justice 4 Adam. They carried signs and chanted slogans.
At one point, Landau, along with Juan and Lena Mendez, entered the lobby of the DA’s office and asked to meet with District Attorney Alexis King. After waiting several minutes, a security officer opened a locked door and told the trio that King was not in the building.
“It’s important to clarify that this case has not been presented to our office for charges,” Brionna Boatright, a spokesperson for King, said in an emailed statement. “We have been assured by the Edgewater Police Department that they are actively investigating Mr. Fresquez’s death and, therefore, any decision or action from our office at this point would be premature.”
The Edgewater Police Department did not respond Friday to a request for comment from The Denver Post.
The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, among rally organizers and family supporters, is calling for an arrest, indictment and transparency by police and prosecutors in the case. The group also calls for an “external investigation” into Edgewater police’s handling of the case, as well as the creation of a Civilian Police Accountability Council over the department.
Landau challenged King to “do her job” and to push police in presenting their investigation.
Crystal Fresquez, Adam’s sister, told the gathered crowd that her family has been through three months of “complete hell” since the shooting.
“When do we get to grieve? When do we get to mourn?” she asked.
“Honestly, it is (expletive) we are having to deal with this” lack of transparency and no arrest, she said. “We have to march and beg for them to arrest this man.”
