Aaron Orozco GoFundMe raises more than $70,000 for Afghanistan Marine veteran killed in Uber

A GoFundMe was launched for Afghanistan Marine veteran, Aaron Orozco, who was murdered in a 7-Eleven parking lot on Friday, March 24, 2023. The fundraiser was launched by Veronica Garcia on Saturday, March 25, 2023. It said that at the time of his murder, Aaron Orozco was working for Uber Rideshare in Lynwood, California.

Orozco had two passengers in his car and they stopped at a 7-Eleven where at around 1:30 pm, one of the men shot and killed him.

The GoFundMe page notes that Aaron Orozco has left behind a wife, Sandra Medina, a 9-year-old son, and a 3-year-old daughter. All donations will be used to help his family hold his funeral. While the fundraiser initially aimed to raise $20,000, it has collected over $70,000.

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Aaron Orozco took the job at Uber to pitch in to support his family

Authorities said that the murder took place after Orozco picked up two passengers, who told him to stop at a 7-Eleven where an altercation between them took place. One of these men allegedly shot Orozco in the upper torso before they both fled with Orozco's vehicle. Police found the car abandoned not too far from the scene of the crime.

According to 38-year-old Aaron Orozco's family, he was a combat veteran who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His wife, Sandra Medina, said that he took a job at Uber to help support his family and had been working there for four years.

Medina, who works as a nurse, said that she had been married to Aaron Orozco for ten years and that they had been together since high school. Medina added that she has not yet told her young children that Orozco has been killed, as it would be too difficult to do so. She also noted that Orozco's killers have still not been caught.

She said that she hopes the police find them and bring them to justice for all the chaos they brought to Orozco and his family's lives. She said that since she doesn't have her husband with her anymore, a lot has changed in her life.

In an official statement, an Uber spokesperson said that Orozco's family is eligible to receive survivor benefits. They also said that they have banned the rider whose account was supposedly used to book the ride before the incident. Uber is currently cooperating with California authorities in apprehending the alleged shooter and his accomplice.

Yahoo reported that Uber's Public Safety Team, which includes several former law enforcement professionals, is directly involved in the investigation. According to the New York Times, between 2017 and 2022, at least 50 app drivers were killed on the job across America. This number does not include the number of drivers who died in car accidents.