ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More than 24 hours after a tragic shooting claimed the life of a beloved tattoo shop owner and artist, police say they need your help finding who may have pulled the trigger.

John “Bale” Sisneros was shot and killed Thursday morning at his shop, Por Vida Tattoo, on 4th Street and Coal Avenue in downtown Albuquerque. Since Sisneros’ untimely death, the community has showed an outpouring of support and love. Several people told KOB 4 that he was a pillar of the community. They said he created a safe space for people to get away from drugs and alcohol to celebrate community and art.

The memorial in front of Por Vida continues to display his impact. Dozens of people have paid their respects and left behind candles, flowers, balloons and more. Family, friends and colleagues also gathered for a candlelight vigil Friday night.

For Amanda Sanchez, she said she had to pay her respects. Sanchez brought flowers and balloons to honor Sisneros, who did her second tattoo. He did a a “gangster Hello Kitty” years ago at his location on Central Avenue.

“My daughter actually drew this tattoo and we brought it into the shop. He was like, yeah, no problem. We’ll get it sketched up. And he got it done right away.” Sanchez continued, “And this actually means a lot to me. I’m actually gonna probably do a rest in peace tattoo right above it.”

KOB 4 asked Sanchez why she would be willing to put rest in peace in Sisneros’ honor permanently. To which she replied, “Por Vida will always be for life.”

Sanchez explained Sisneros’ had a major impact on everyone around him.

“He had a big heart for others in community. So he just helped people that have had troubled lives, and just help people direct you to the right path later on. So that’s basically why he’s such a good person to the community,” she said.

With Por Vida being in the community since 2006, Sisneros’ loss goes beyond the tattoo community.

His loss hit neighboring business La Mexicana Tortilla hard.

“We’re still a little in shock. It’s hard. We’re still trying to figure out how we feel about it. There’s not really any words to say,” said Sara Nunez, the manager of La Mexicana.

Por Vida hasn’t always been at the location on 4th Street. But the family behind Por Vida and the family behind La Mexicana Tortilla had known each other years before they were neighbors.

Even when they moved, Por Vida had a conversation with the owner of La Mexicana, explaining they wanted to be more than a shop and make a difference in the community.

Nunez said they did just that.

“They have brought a lot of art and just history to Albuquerque and to Downtown, you know, they’ve brought a lot of community, like with their people that work there. They all come here, and we’re all kind of like family,” she said.

Every Friday, La Mexicana has a Por Vida burrito special. Nunez explained it was a little harder to put on the shop’s shirt this Friday, but it meant that much more. 

“We were good friends with a lot of the people over there. They all support our business. They support local we support them,” Nunez said. “It was hard to put my shirt on this morning, but it meant a little bit more just because he was a pillar of our community, you know, bringing a safe place for a lot of the younger generation.”

They had the type of relationship that Nunez says will leave a big hole.

“It’s been a blessing to us, because they bring so many wonderful customers and their employees all eat here. It’s just, it’s been something beautiful that they added to our to our community here,” she said.

The Albuquerque Police Department is still looking for the person of interest below. If you recognize this person or know any information, you can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (505) 843-STOP (7867). You can also submit a tip online or you can text “ABQCS” to 738477.