On a Tuesday evening, October 20, 2015, in Auburn, Washington, 40-year-old Mark Rivera, a Black / African American male, was with his 19-year-old stepson, Angel Mireles, and his 13-year-old son at a bus shelter. The family had just left a friend's home nearby and were waiting for a ride. Shortly after 5 p.m., a dark-colored Acura pulled up to the bus stop.
Words were exchanged between the occupants of the car and Mireles, who had approached the vehicle.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the car. Mireles was fatally shot at the scene. In a desperate attempt to help his stepson, Rivera ran towards him, only to be shot as well. The gunman also aimed at Rivera's younger son, but the boy managed to escape unharmed. After the shots were fired, the vehicle sped away. The surviving son used his brother's phone to call 911. Rivera was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries the following afternoon.
The investigation into the double homicide led police to a stolen vehicle matching the description of the one used in the shooting. Surveillance footage from a convenience store shortly before the incident helped authorities identify a suspect. Police arrested 19-year-old Froilan Hermenegildo in connection with the murders. He was described as a member of a street gang. A 16-year-old girl, believed to have been in the car during the shooting, was also taken into custody and later charged with rendering criminal assistance. Hermenegildo was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen vehicle. His bail was set at $2 million. While the suspect had known gang affiliations, police did not believe the victims were involved in any gang activity.
