Uber Driver Shot Dead by Passenger in Lynwood; 2 Suspects at Large
LYNWOOD, Calif.—A man working as an Uber driver was fatally shot March 24 in Lynwood by one of two passengers, who fled and were being sought, authorities said.
Deputies were called at 1:33 a.m. to a 7-Eleven parking lot in the 2800 block of Imperial Highway west of State Street where they found the victim, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The victim’s name was not immediately released by authorities, but his wife identified him as Aaron Orozco, 38.
“I’m still in shock,” his wife, Sandra Medina, told KTLA5 at the shooting scene. “I can’t believe this happened to our family. I just don’t know how to react right now, really. It’s just so hard.”
Orozco was a father of a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. He also served in the Marine Corps.
“During the initial investigation, deputies learned the victim was working as a rideshare driver and had picked up two male … adults,” a sheriff’s statement said.
“During the duration of the rideshare, the victim stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of the indicated location,” the statement said. “The victim and the two passengers were then involved in a physical altercation, at which time, one suspect produced an unknown firearm and shot the victim.
“The suspects then fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle,” the statement said. “The abandoned vehicle was located a short distance from the location by Century Station deputies.”
A Gofundme account established for the family had raised more than $3,700 by Friday afternoon.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
