In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Kansas City, Kansas, the life of 21-year-old Luis Deras-Orellana was tragically cut short. On January 5, 2020, neighbors reported hearing the sound of multiple gunshots in the 3000 block of 34th Street. When police arrived at the scene, they found Deras-Orellana suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries that same day.
The Hispanic / Latino male's death was investigated as a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting led to a significant development the following month. A 22-year-old man from Guatemala, Luis A. Salazar-Villeda, was charged in connection with the fatal shooting. On February 1st, he was charged in Wyandotte County District Court with first-degree murder and criminal discharge of a weapon at an occupied building.
Authorities allege that Salazar-Villeda was the individual who fired into the home where Deras-Orellana was located, leading to his death. The charges brought a measure of progress in a case that had started with the sound of gunfire in the quiet morning hours, and ended with a young man's life being taken.
