Aaron Orozco: Marine veteran and father-of-two fatally shot by Uber passengers in 7/11 parking lot
LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA: A 38-year-old Marine veteran, Aaron Orozco, was fatally shot and killed on the morning of March 24 at around 1.30 am while driving for Uber. As per multiple reports, Orozco stopped at a 7-Eleven store in the 2800 block of Imperial Highway in Lynwood for an unknown reason. Following this, Orozco and his two passengers got into a physical altercation and one of the passengers pulled out a gun and shot Orozco in his upper torso.
According to Fox 11, a store clerk witnessed the shooting and called the officials. When first responders arrived, they found the victim's body lying on the ground in the parking lot. While his car Honda Accord, which was carjacked by one of the suspects, was found abandoned a short distance away, reports New York Post.
READ MORE
Golden Hembry: Korean War vet, 94, dies after Arkansas nursing home roof collapses in storm
Army Sergeant shot dead by short-sighted soldier who thought he was wooden target in freak accident
Who was Aaron Orozco?
According to a GoFundMe set up for the family, Orozco was a combat veteran who had served in the United States Marine Corps. He had been based out of Camp Pendleton from 2001 to 2005 and previously completed three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
38 year old Aaron Orozco was a husband and father of 2 young kids…Aaron was a Marine who served 3 tours in Iraq…only to die while driving #Uber in Lynwood. He was shot and killed this am….now police are searching for two suspects. Details all night on #NBCLA pic.twitter.com/ft3S5deqCg
— Alex Rozier (@AlexNBCLA) March 24, 2023
Orozco was a father of two, a nine-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, and was married to his wife Sandra Medina, who worked as a nurse. "We were married for 10 years, but we’ve been together since high school, high school sweethearts," the wife told Fox 11 and added that Orozco started working for Uber at night to financially back his children. "I haven't even told my kids yet, they still think dad is going to come through the door. It just seems like I'm in a nightmare. It doesn't seem real to me," the wife expressed.
What does Uber have to say?
Orozco started working for Uber four years ago. The mobility company said in a statement, "Our hearts are with Mr Orozco Figueroa’s family as they cope with this unfathomable tragedy, and we have reached out to offer our condolences. We banned the rider’s account and are working with police on their investigation." The wife told, “I just really hope that they find [the suspects] because … they created this chaos in my life, in my family’s life and now … I don’t have my husband with me and it’s just changed my life around, so I really hope that they do catch them."
Police are still looking for the two attackers, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau at 323-890-5500. If one prefers to provide information anonymously, they may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.