Afghanistan marine veteran, 38, is shot dead by two Uber passengers in California 7/11 parking lot: Cops hunt dad-of-two’s carjacking killers – while his wife says she’s ‘in a nightmare’
- Aaron Orozco, 38, was murdered by his Uber passengers on Friday night
- Orozco served three tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan
- He left behind a wife and two young children, who he was driving to support
A United States Marines veteran was shot and killed by a pair of Uber passengers he was driving while in the parking lot of a California 7-Eleven.
Aaron Orozco, 38, died on Friday night after being shot in the upper torso at about at about 1:30am just outside of Los Angeles. His body was pushed out into the parking lot while one of the suspects fled on foot and the other stole and drove off in his Honda Pilot.
Orozco was midway through his trip when he pulled over into the convenience store parking lot and the shooting took place. A store clerk witnessed the altercation and called police.
A veteran of three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Orozco left behind a wife and two young children, and his wife Sandra said he’d started driving Uber at night so he could take care of their kids while she worked as a nurse. Sandra told FOX 11 it felt like she was living in a ‘nightmare’ since Orozco’s death.
Police are continuing to search for the suspects. A GoFundMe set up to support his family has raised more than $36,000 so far.
Orozco served three tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan
He left behind a wife and two young children, who he was driving to support
Orozco had been driving Uber for four years without trouble, his family said.
Exactly what led to the altercation that resulted in Orozco’s death on Friday night remains unclear. Police said he and the passengers became ‘involved in a physical altercation’ sometime during the stop at the 7-Eleven.
His car was later found abandoned, and the have been identified only as being two black males.
Sandra said she hadn’t yet told her children about the death of their father.
‘I haven’t even told my kids yet, they still think dad is going to come through the door,’ she told FOX 11.
‘We were married for 10 years, but we’ve been together since high school, high school sweethearts.’
‘It just seems like I’m in a nightmare. It doesn’t seem real to me,’ she added.
Representatives from Uber said they were working closely with police in their investigation, and had blocked the suspect from using the ride sharing service.
‘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,’ they said in a statement to FOX 11. ‘We banned the rider’s account and are working with police on their investigation.’
The company said Orozco’s family and was eligible for survivor benefits they provide through an associated insurance company.
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