On the morning of Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 29-year-old Francisco Anton Medrano Campos was leaving his apartment in the 2300 block of Glenmont Circle in Wheaton, Maryland, to go to work when he was fatally shot. At approximately 7:07 a.m., Montgomery County police officers responded to a report of a shooting and found Medrano Campos suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing two men fleeing the area immediately after the shooting.
The subsequent investigation by the Montgomery County Department of Police’s Major Crimes Division led to the identification and arrest of five suspects. The individuals taken into custody were Carlos Andres Orellana, 21; Daniel E. Huezo Landaverde, 19; Oscar Effrain Zavala-Urrea, 19; Romeo Almengor Oxlaj-Lopez, 20; and Victor Alfonso Cruz-Orellana, 21. Each of the five men was charged with one count of first-degree murder and they are being held without bond.
Authorities indicated that the motive for the killing was retaliatory. It was reported that Medrano Campos had previously been roommates with one of the suspects, Carlos Andres Orellana. An altercation occurred between them after Medrano Campos accused Orellana of stealing from him, which led to Orellana being beaten with a pipe. Police believe the shooting was an act of revenge for this prior incident. Investigators have stated that Medrano Campos had no known connections to any gangs. Four of the five suspects were identified as being in the country illegally.
