Juvenile arrested in connection to shooting incident in Loma

Loma, Colorado – On May 20, 2023, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a report of a shooting in Loma.  Initial reports were that a 14-year-old male had accidentally shot himself.  The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Fruita Police Department, Lower Valley Fire, and officers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded to the home just after 11:00 pm last Saturday.  The victim was transported to the hospital and later flown to Denver, where he died a short time later.

The investigation has since indicated that the gunshot was not self-inflicted. The directly involved parties are juveniles and have been contacted and interviewed.  

This afternoon investigators with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office Complex Crimes Unit took a 14-year-old juvenile into custody. The juvenile was transported to the Division of Youth Services, where the juvenile will be held on the following charges:

Manslaughter F4
Criminally Negligent Homicide F5
Assault in the second-degree F4
Possession of Handguns by Juveniles M2

This was an isolated incident, and there is no outstanding risk to the community. This case remains active, and the circumstances surrounding this incident continue to be investigated.  Because the individual taken into custody is a juvenile, the identity of this juvenile may only be released in accordance with Colorado open records laws.