A man accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy at a Lakewood house party in April 2024 has been arrested in Colorado Springs after more than a year on the run.
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Colorado announced on Friday that 20-year-old Philix Baca was taken into custody in connection with the April 13, 2024, shooting death of Francisco Laqui.
Baca had been wanted by the Lakewood Police Department on a felony warrant for first-degree murder. While several suspects were arrested shortly after the incident, Baca had managed to evade capture for over a year.
On Wednesday, the USMS Colorado Violent Offender Task Force in Denver received information that Baca could be in the Colorado Springs area. Working alongside Lakewood police, authorities surveilled the area and spotted a man matching Baca’s description entering a residence.
After securing a search warrant, the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit carried out the operation and safely arrested Baca.
He has been booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on the outstanding homicide warrant.
