Joshua Orozco Obituary, Death; – A California inmate was fatally shot last week outside a facility close to MacArthur Park, where certain prisoners are permitted to spend the final months of their sentences in the community, according to authorities.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not publicly announce the homicide, which took place on September 2, and only confirmed that an inmate in their custody was killed after inquiries from The Times.
Mary Xjimenez, a spokesperson for CDCR, stated that two inmates were shot outside a facility where prisoners can complete the latter part of their sentences in a residential environment.
Officer Drake Madison, a representative of the Los Angeles Police Department, reported that a male suspect approached the two victims at the intersection of 6th and Park View streets around 9:30 a.m.
The suspect exchanged words with the victims before opening fire, Madison noted. One of the victims, identified only as a 56-year-old man, was hospitalized and is in stable condition, while the other succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect fled the scene on foot, Madison added, and has not yet been identified by law enforcement.
Xjimenez refrained from providing details about the victims, including their names or the reasons for their incarceration, stating that the LAPD advised her that such information would “hamper” their investigation.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has identified the deceased individual as Joshua Orozco, 35. In a GoFundMe post, Orozco’s family expressed that he was killed “just as he was turning his life around.”
“He was incredibly excited to have this second chance and was looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life, working towards a better future and spending quality time with his family,” they wrote. “This unexpected loss has left us all devastated.”
A law enforcement official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case, indicated that Orozco was a reputed member of the Two-Fivers, a gang comprised of so-called “drop-outs” who are targeted by traditional street and prison gangs.
The facility near MacArthur Park is one of three operated by CDCR in Los Angeles County as part of its Male Community Reentry Program, with the other two located in South Los Angeles.
Around 730 men convicted of crimes in state courts are currently serving what’s left of their time in seven Male Community Reentry Program facilities across California. A similar program houses roughly 400 female inmates in six facilities.
CDCR has touted its reentry programs, which give prisoners access to drug treatment, job training and other services. In August, the department published a study that said participants were significantly less likely to re-offend than inmates who served their entire terms in prison.
Inmates are allowed to leave the facilities with prior approval, and Xjimenez said the two victims were returning from an “approved activity” when they were shot.
CDCR says only inmates with 32 months or less remaining on their sentences are eligible for the reentry programs. But in March the department reported that Deshon Daniels, who was less than seven years into a 15-year sentence for robbery, had absconded from an L.A. County facility.
Daniels, 27, was arrested nearly two weeks later. Now housed at Calipatria state prison in Imperial County, he faces escape charges in Los Angeles County.
Six inmates absconded from Male Community Reentry Program facilities in Los Angeles County this year, according to a review of public statements by CDCR. They included five convicted robbers and one man incarcerated for fleeing police.
CDCR agents captured all of the escapees but Jose Arroyo, who has been serving a 21-year term for robbery since 2008. Arroyo, 39, walked away from an L.A. County facility on March 28 and has not been seen since.
