In the early hours of Memorial Day, May 29, 2023, what was meant to be a restful stopover for a family turned into a scene of tragedy at a Motel 6 on Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville, Maryland. Javier Argueta, a 30-year-old man, was shot and killed in a hallway of the motel. Argueta, his brother, and a friend were walking down a hallway to ensure their family members were settled and safe when an altercation occurred with another individual.
The encounter escalated, and shots were fired, leaving Javier Argueta fatally wounded and the other two men injured. Paramedics pronounced Argueta dead at the scene, while his brother and their friend were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to survive.
The family had been on their way to a river for a Memorial Day gathering, a trip Javier had been excitedly planning for months. Tragically, this came only weeks after he had buried his four-month-old daughter, Alena, who had battled severe health complications since birth. Argueta and his family had decided to stop at the motel to rest before completing their journey the next morning. One guest at the motel reported being awakened by the sound of about five gunshots and then seeing two men on the hallway floor.
Police responded to the shooting at approximately 3 a.m. and quickly identified a suspect through surveillance footage from the motel. The video reportedly showed the suspect pulling a black and silver handgun from under his jacket and firing several rounds at the victims. Shortly after the incident, officers found 18-year-old Jose Diaz-Contrenas in the motel's parking lot. Diaz-Contrenas, whose address was listed in court documents as being in Indianapolis, Indiana, but had recently moved back to Maryland, was taken into custody.
During questioning, Diaz-Contrenas admitted to being in an argument with the victims and to shooting them. Charging documents state that he 'could not stop' shooting at the victims. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. At a court hearing, prosecutors described him as an 'incredible risk to public safety,' and a judge ordered him to be held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bond, deeming him a danger to the community and a flight risk. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 23, 2023. Investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident.
