On a Tuesday night in Salem, Oregon, the life of 18-year-old Hispanic male, Andrew Ray Rosas, was tragically cut short. The date was September 22, 2020, and the setting was Hoover School Park. Rosas, a student at McKay High School, was at the park on Savage Road Northeast when gunfire erupted around 10:45 p.m., resulting in his death and seriously injuring his girlfriend who was with him at the time.
The Salem Police Department launched an investigation into the shooting.
Six weeks later, on November 3, 2020, authorities arrested 21-year-old Jayson Lynn Elkins of Salem. He was subsequently charged with a multitude of crimes, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, and robbery. The investigation did not end there. In March 2023, a Marion County grand jury returned a secret indictment for a second suspect, Arturo Mendez-Perez, who was 24 at the time of his arrest. Court filings later revealed that the night before the fatal shooting, Mendez-Perez and his friends had been shot at by individuals they believed to be part of a rival gang.
In the end, both men were brought to justice for their roles in the violent robbery and shooting. Arturo Mendez-Perez pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree attempted murder and first-degree robbery. On October 3, 2025, he was sentenced to 32 and a half years in prison. Jayson Elkins pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder, first-degree manslaughter, and possessing a firearm as a felon. On October 27, 2025, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. With credit for time served on the firearm conviction, Elkins will serve an additional 10 years.
