Arrest made in Edgewater Tesla road rage death
The family of a man who was shot in the back at an Edgewater Tesla charging station last May is feeling justified, but not satisfied now that a suspect has been arrested.
Edgewater Police arrested Jeremy Smith, 39, Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Adam Fresquez.
The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. May 3 near the Tesla supercharger station at the Edgewater Public Market on 20th Avenue.
In a press release, the Edgewater Police Department said that the investigation took “months,” but it’s also been a long period of uncertainty for Fresquez’ mother, Lena Fresquez-Mendez.
She led a grassroots family effort to keep Adam’s death from being forgotten. The family held rallies and attended Edgewater City Council meetings to put pressure on authorities to make a move on the case.
“I won’t feel satisfied until they actually charge him,” said Fresquez-Mendez in an interview with The Denver Gazette. “We should not have had to fight this hard for justice for Adam.”
According to Edgewater police, video evidence showed Fresquez, 33, and Smith arrived at the supercharger station within seconds of each other at 9:39 a.m. on May 3, 2023.
Once parked, Fresquez was seen walking toward Smith’s Tesla, police said in the news release. Less than a minute later, they said, Fresquez is seen stumbling. Smith is then seen pulling out of the parking space and driving east.
Within minutes, police said, Smith called 911 and reported that he had used Mace and shot someone at the charging station after that person “pulled a gun” on him.
The investigation, which took months, revealed that Smith and Fresquez, both driving Teslas, were engaged in a road rage incident. Both men were armed, according to a press release from the Edgewater Police.
“The evidence indicates that Fresquez was maced and shot twice in the back,” according to the press release.
Police presented their investigation to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office Sept. 19.
“In the following months, the investigation continued, and additional items of evidence were collected and submitted for forensic testing,” police said. They said those test results came in on Dec. 6.
Breathless with relief, Fresquez-Mendez said that she was told of the arrest at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
“My son would never have shot someone in the back and left him to die on the ground,” she said.
Smith’s first appearance is scheduled for Jefferson County Court Wednesday morning.
The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9News contributed to this story.
