SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) — Two men were murdered in a Salem parking lot late Sunday night, and police are trying to find out what motivated the 35-year-old suspect.
Investigators said Marcelino Osorio-Jiminez got into a fight with 26-year-old Hector Martinez-Arroyo and 50-year-old Carlos Zepeda-Ponce before he shot them in the parking lot of the Heritage Square business center on Lancaster Drive NE.
Reports of the shooting came in just before 11 p.m., according to Salem Police Dept. A witness reportedly followed Osorio-Jiminez as he fled the scene, and officers were able to track him down and arrest him a short distance away.
Both Martinez-Arroyo and Zepeda-Ponce died at the scene, police said.
Friends told KOIN 6 News the 2 victims were inside Billares Rosita, a pool bar with karaoke, before they were gunned down. Those who knew them said they were likely at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“They were great people, they had the biggest hearts. They did not deserve this,” Cindy Figueroa said. “I know that they are not the kinds of people you would have imagined getting murdered, getting shot… I’m in shock.”
Police have not said whether the victims and suspect were known to each other.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call 503.588.5032.