For the family of Juan Christobal Flores, the arrest of their loved one’s alleged shooter brings little solace.
Juan Cristobal Flores
While they are glad Adrian Orozco, 40, is behind bars on several felony charges in connection with the Dec. 26 shooting of Flores and a coworker at a Goodwill donation center on Tucson's southeast side, they know it is a single step down a long road of prosecution that can take the family in many directions, said Angelica Atondo, a family spokesperson.
“We feel like we are in a movie, to be honest with you,” Atondo said Tuesday, after learning about Orozco’s arrest on charges that include attempted second-degree murder. “We cried when we found out he was caught, but then the rage, the frustration, it all came back ... this is the start of a very, very long path we had ahead.”
An arrest is one thing, she said. The prosecution of Orozco will be an entirely different mountain to climb.
Shannon Sanchez, left, and Cheyene Clawson listen to the testimonials for their friend and co-worker Juan Cristobal Flores during a vigil Tuesday evening outside St. Joseph Hospital.
Atondo said the family’s real concern is Flores, a young man with a beautiful voice and warm smile, who sits with two gunshot wounds and little more than his own will to live. Aside from that, they all want justice — and not in the form of a plea agreement.
“We want a trial. He shouldn’t get any deals,” Atondo said prior to Orozco’s first court appearance Tuesday evening. It’s a feeling she holds firmly and close to her heart. “How do we hold authorities accountable? Those are our thoughts. Those are our worries right now.
“Instead of us being there for Juan, we also have to worry about if the prosecution is doing their job or not. They have failed and let so many bad guys out of jail.”
This worry serves as fuel to the family’s fire, Atondo said.
Raymond Rogers, left, holds Marisela Luna, long time friend of Juan Cristobal Flores, among a few hundred well-wishers who gathered Tuesday for a vigil outside St. Joseph Hospital.
Now that an arrest has been made, and Orozco is sitting in jail on a $1 million bond, the Flores family isn’t too quick to celebrate.
“I don’t think I’m ‘excited’ (about the arrest). Instead it’s my fuel. It’s what motivates me,” Atondo said. “We can’t talk about excitement when we have a loved one battling between life and death . . . we are not getting weight off our shoulders, not at all. This is just the start. This is the beginning of another horror movie."
