Angel Ortega, a 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino man, was killed during a burst of gunfire outside Kaña Mojito Lounge near South 5th Street and West National Avenue in Milwaukee during the early morning hours of August 26, 2017. Police were sent to the nightclub at about 1:45 a.m. after what began as a confrontation inside spilled outside and ended in a triple shooting. Ortega was found lying on the floor as a patron attempted life-saving measures.
Those efforts were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined that he had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
Investigators learned that two groups had become involved in an argument over something that occurred on the dance floor. Security personnel broke up the confrontation and removed some of those involved from the club. Witnesses later identified Jose Sanchez, also reported as Jose Cadena-Sanchez, as one of the people who had been thrown out. According to the criminal complaint, a witness saw Sanchez go to a vehicle, retrieve a handgun and return to the area. Shortly afterward, Ortega and another person came outside, and the witness reported seeing Sanchez fire in Ortega's direction.
Another witness told investigators that there were two shooters. That witness said Sanchez fired before driving away, while Omar Estrada fired at another victim. Estrada reportedly tried to catch up with Sanchez's vehicle, and the vehicle then turned around and came back toward him. Prosecutors later said witnesses had seen both Sanchez and Estrada firing weapons toward Ortega and another person outside the nightclub. Investigators recovered eleven cartridge cases from the area: six from a. 380-caliber handgun and five from a. 45-caliber handgun. The casings were scattered between the parking lot and the area in front of the building, supporting investigators' belief that more than one firearm had been used.
Ortega was the only person killed, but two other people were struck by the gunfire. One victim suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and required surgery. A woman told police she was running toward her car outside the club when she was shot in the arm. Both survived. Members of Ortega's family believed he had been caught in the crossfire rather than being the intended target of the dispute. Relatives also questioned how he had been admitted to a nightclub they understood to be restricted to patrons 21 and older, saying he had entered without identification.
In the days after the killing, Ortega's family gathered for a vigil and remembered him as someone who was happy, loved to laugh and was deeply connected to his family. His father, Heriberto Coronado, said he had raised Ortega since he was very young and described the loss as devastating. Ortega was one of eight children. His mother, Ernestina Ortega, and his siblings repeatedly appealed for information that could help police find those responsible.
Prosecutors moved quickly against Sanchez and Estrada. Criminal complaints and arrest warrants were issued on August 28, 2017. Both were charged in connection with the homicide and the shootings of the two surviving victims, including a first-degree reckless homicide charge as party to a crime. Authorities considered the pair armed and dangerous, but neither was immediately captured. Investigators determined that they had fled Milwaukee, and authorities later said they had made their way to Mexico.
The case remained unresolved for years. Omar Estrada was finally captured in Mexico in June 2022 after nearly five years as a fugitive and was brought back to the United States by the U.S. Marshals Service. Court proceedings later revealed that Estrada and Sanchez had hidden in a basement for weeks after the killing before fleeing the country. Estrada eventually reached a plea agreement, pleading guilty in May 2023 to second-degree reckless homicide. Additional charges against him were dismissed as part of the agreement.
On June 29, 2023, Estrada was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by eight years of extended supervision. During sentencing, he accepted responsibility for his actions. His defense attorney said Estrada had known Ortega and had not intended for him to be killed, but Ortega's family rejected that explanation and emphasized the lasting damage caused by the shooting and Estrada's decision to flee rather than surrender.
Jose Sanchez has remained a fugitive. The U.S. Marshals Service continues to list him as wanted for homicide in connection with the August 2017 triple shooting, using the aliases Jose Cadena and "Droopy" Sanchez. Authorities believe he fled to Mexico, and a 2024 update from federal investigators indicated that he was believed to be in the León, Guanajuato area. Unlike Estrada, Sanchez has not been brought back to Wisconsin to face trial, leaving one portion of the prosecution in Ortega's killing unresolved.
