There’s no solution to violence like this

According to news reports, 10 to 20 minutes before the shooting, Wilson Garcia and two other men walked to Oropesa’s yard to ask him to stop shooting so close to their home because their baby was sleeping. They asked that the man shoot on the other side of the property instead.

Oropesa refused to comply, and the police were called five times because the man was becoming more threatening, Garcia told a news reporter.

“We saw him; he was leaving his property and cocked his gun,” Garcia said. “I told my wife to get inside because he cocked his gun and he might come threaten us. So my wife said, ‘You go inside, I don’t think he will fire at me because I’m a woman, I’ll stay here at the door.’ ”

She was wrong. Oropesa went to the house and shot Sonia Argentina Guzman in the doorway, before killing three other adults and Garcia’s son. With the help of another adult in the house, Garcia escaped through a window and fled. The woman who helped him did not survive.

When police arrived, they found the victims had been shot “almost execution-style,” at close range, above the neck.

The massacre is one of more than 180 mass shootings in the United States in just the first four months of the year. Like other shootings that occurred, this one also seemed to have stemmed from an ordinary encounter — a neighbor asking Oropesa to stop shooting so close to his home because his baby was sleeping.

Oropesa and Garcia reportedly did not have any issues before the incident. In fact, Oropesa had helped Garcia chop down a tree in his yard, so his reaction to Garcia’s request was anything but normal. 

A simple request turned into a horrific situation that left five people dead. Instead of staying there and facing the consequences of his actions, Oropesa decided to run from authorities. It may take some time, but hopefully they will catch him.

Meanwhile, even if he is caught and brought to justice, he has forever negatively affected a family and caused them trauma that they may never get over.

There is no solution for situation like this. The best one can hope for is justice. It is, however, a stark reminder that lives can be changed in an instant.