A former employee of a Colorado Topgolf, Victor Salazar-Guarache, 27, has been sentenced to 48 years in prison for the murder of his 22-year-old co-worker, Bryce Holden. Salazar-Guarache was also given an additional 20-year sentence for the attempted murder of another co-worker who survived the shooting.
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 23, 2023, in the parking lot of the Topgolf facility in Thornton, a suburb of Denver. Surveillance footage captured the chilling moment when Salazar-Guarache, seated in his car, emerged and began firing at Holden and the other employee as they were leaving after their shift.
The video showed Holden falling to the ground immediately after being shot, while the other victim managed to escape despite being hit. Salazar-Guarache continued to fire at Holden even as he lay on the ground.
A Lyft driver, who was at the Topgolf to pick up a passenger at the time of the shooting, provided a witness account to law enforcement. The driver reported seeing Salazar-Guarache laughing as he returned to his car after the shooting. The suspect was apprehended by the police a few hours later.
While it was established that there was some form of disagreement between Salazar-Guarache and the victims at work, the exact motive behind the shooting remains undisclosed. Salazar-Guarache pleaded guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder in September and was sentenced last month.
The tragic incident has left Holden’s family devastated. His father, Rod Holden, remembered his son as a jovial individual who was always making jokes. Bryce was self-learning Spanish and had plans to relocate to Barcelona within the next two years.
“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.”