Salvador Martinez Diaz, a 25-year-old Hispanic male from Columbus, OH, was tragically shot and killed on December 4, 2016. The incident occurred near his apartment building on Melroy Avenue and Kelburn Road in Columbus. Martinez Diaz was a suspected member of the 18th Street gang.
The investigation revealed that Martinez Diaz was targeted by members of the MS-13 gang.
On the day of the murder, several MS-13 members, including Jose Mendez-Peraza, waited in the parking lot of the Resolute Athletic Complex where Martinez Diaz was playing soccer. They followed him home and ambushed him near his apartment building. Mendez-Peraza and another MS-13 member opened fire on Martinez Diaz with pistols, shooting him multiple times and killing him.
In the aftermath of the murder, Mendez-Peraza was arrested and charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy and murder through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. He pleaded guilty in October 2019 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in March 2020. Additionally, Pedro Alfonso Osorio-Flores, another MS-13 member, was also implicated in the murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison in February 2021.
The case was part of a larger investigation into MS-13 activities in Columbus, which led to the indictment of 23 individuals on charges including racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses, and immigration-related violations. The investigation highlighted the violent and criminal activities of MS-13 in the Columbus area.
The tragic death of Salvador Martinez Diaz brought attention to the ongoing gang violence in Columbus and the efforts of law enforcement to combat these criminal organizations.
