On a summer evening in Federal Way, Washington, 26-year-old Omero Garcia Mendez was waiting to pick up his girlfriend's son from football practice at Lakota Middle School. His life was unexpectedly cut short in a violent encounter that unfolded in the school's parking lot.
A Lincoln Navigator, carrying three individuals, blocked Mendez's car. One of the occupants, 16-year-old Luis F. Cosgaya-Alvarez, confronted Mendez, flashing gang signs before firing a single, fatal shot to his head.
The teenager and his two friends then fled the scene, leaving Mendez mortally wounded. He later succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led Federal Way police to Seattle a few days later, where they arrested Cosgaya-Alvarez. He was subsequently charged as an adult with second-degree murder for the death of Omero Mendez.
