Vigil for murder victim

Holding onto a memory and each other.

A couple dozen friends and family members gathered at the scene where 23-year-old Eugenio Gomez collapsed after being shot. They lit candles, signed a memorial poster and left donations for his family.

“We’re all just hurting and we can’t realize this is happening,” said Martika Medina, Gomez’s girlfriend.

No candle can replace the light a loved one brings into your life, which is why those gathered at the vigil want the man who extinguished it brought to justice.

“I just hope they find him and they give him what he deserves,” Medina said.

Police are looking for 21-year-old Patrick Orozco, who they say pulled the trigger.

According to an affidavit for Orozco’s arrest, he had recently been kicked out of his girlfriend, Denisse Montelongo’s, apartment. Last night Montelongo threw a football party for friends, including Gomez, an old boyfriend.

Investigators say before the shooting a neighbor heard Orozco say, “I’m about to do something stupid.” Minutes later, Orozco is said to have fired a single shot at Gomez before running away. Gomez also ran out of the apartment. Initially, according to 9-1-1 recordings, witnesses didn’t believe Gomez had been hit. But Gomez ended up collapsing across the street.

Near where he collapsed, a memorial continues to grow.