On a late October evening in 2020, the life of 18-year-old Hispanic male Raymond Ryan Rios was cut short on a rural road just outside of Hermiston, Oregon. The events of October 29th unfolded on Sagebrush Road near Bensel Road, stemming from an altercation that involved three other individuals and ultimately ended in gunfire.
According to the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office, a dispatch call was received around 8:18 p.m. from Alejandro Madrigal.
He reported that he and his father, Jaime Madrigal, had been in a confrontation with Rios and 19-year-old Hugo Madrigal-Leon. During the call, Alejandro Madrigal stated that his father had been shot and that he, in an act of self-defense, had shot both Rios and Madrigal-Leon.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they discovered Rios and Madrigal-Leon deceased from gunshot wounds. Jaime Madrigal was transported to a local hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound, while Alejandro sustained some injuries from the initial altercation. Both father and son cooperated with the authorities who were investigating the incident.
The Umatilla County Sheriff's Office, along with the Umatilla Morrow Major Crime Team and the Oregon State Police Forensics Lab, began a thorough investigation into the double homicide. While Alejandro Madrigal claimed self-defense in the shootings, the authorities continued to sort through the events that led to the deadly encounter. At the time of the initial reports, it was stated that no arrests had been made and there was no perceived ongoing danger to the community, as it was believed all involved individuals were accounted for at the scene. The deaths of the two young men, one a recent graduate and the other a senior at Hermiston High School, prompted the local school district to offer counseling services to students and staff affected by the tragedy.
