THORNTON, Colo. — Since 22-year-old Bryce Holden was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Top Golf in Thornton where he worked, his father Rod said people throughout the community have reached out, sharing their support.
"It's not an underestimate to say we've heard from hundreds," Rod Holden said. "I think that shows how much he was loved and what kind of kid he was. He was always making jokes. He would have a smirk on his face when he was sitting there razzing ya. That's just how he was."
"He was my baby," he said.
The man accused of killing Holden just days before Christmas will be in court Tuesday morning, where he's expected to be formally charged. Victor Salazar-Guarache and Holden both worked at Top Golf. Salazar-Guarache was arrested a few hours after the shooting Dec. 23.
"Right now my priority is to make sure justice is served," Rod Holden said. "This is a yearlong process, more likely, so I’ll be there every step of the way."
According to the arrest affidavit, Salazar-Guarache left work early at 11:42 p.m. Dec. 22 and drove around the parking lot of Top Golf. About an hour later, when Holden and a manager walked out to the parking lot, Salazar-Guarache got out of his car and shot at them. The manager was able to run back inside. Holden died at the hospital.
Just after 4:10 a.m. Dec. 23, a Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputy spotted Salazar-Guarache's car traveling north on Interstate 25 and initiated a high-risk traffic stop. The suspect was taken into custody and declined to make a statement.
Salazar-Guarache is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
For Rod Holden and so many others, Bryce was more than a headline. As difficult as this loss is, Rod Holden wants to make sure his son is remembered not by how he died but rather how he lived.
"Bryce had deeply rooted values," Rod Holden said. "He was always trying to improve himself. He always tried to see the best in everybody, but if he thought you could do better, he would call you out on it. There's a face behind the news story. There's a soul behind the news story, and I want people to know that."
Rod Holden said his son had big goals. He was teaching himself Spanish and planned to move to Barcelona in two years.
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