In the late afternoon of June 4, 2023, a trip to the grocery store in Woodburn, Oregon, turned fatal for 39-year-old Hispanic male, Noel Orozco Romero. The incident occurred around 4:00 p.m. at the Mega Foods on Mount Hood Avenue, a place of routine errands that became a scene of sudden violence. Romero was in the self-checkout line when he was confronted by his former brother-in-law, Jose Gustavo Garcia-Rivera.
According to Garcia-Rivera, something Romero said angered him, leading to the deadly encounter.
In a brazen act witnessed by other shoppers, including a mother and her young daughter, Garcia-Rivera shot Romero 14 times in the back at close range. Despite the public setting, bystanders reported that they had not noticed any argument before the shots were fired. Romero was pronounced dead at the scene. After the shooting, Garcia-Rivera laid down his 9mm handgun and surrendered to a security officer. Woodburn police quickly responded and took the suspect into custody the same day, assuring the community that there was no ongoing threat.
The investigation was led by the Marion County District Attorney's Office. Jose Gustavo Garcia-Rivera, then 37, was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and recklessly endangering another person. The legal proceedings that followed revealed the tragic connection between the two men. The trial concluded in November 2024, with a Marion County jury finding Garcia-Rivera guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 25 years. Noel Orozco Romero, a father of four, was remembered by his family, many of whom were present throughout the trial and sentencing, sharing impact statements about their profound loss.
