Dale Joseph Wright, a 42-year-old White / Caucasian male, lost his life on Friday, March 14, 2014, in Ontario, Oregon. The events leading to his death unfolded in the pre-dawn hours, around 3:30 a.m., in the west parking lot of Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario.
Wright had arrived at the hospital parking lot in the company of another man, 24-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez. The two men were there to meet a female acquaintance.
An encounter in the parking lot escalated, tragically culminating in Wright being fatally shot. After the shooting, the assailant fled the scene in a vehicle, running over Wright in the process.
The woman who was with them immediately sought assistance from the hospital staff. Wright was brought into the medical facility, but his injuries were too severe, and he was declared dead. Law enforcement initiated an investigation, which was managed by the Oregon State Police. Approximately three hours after the deadly incident, authorities located and arrested Juan Carlos Lopez at a residence in Nyssa, a town about twelve miles south of Ontario. Lopez, who, like Wright, was a resident of Ontario, was subsequently charged with murder.
