Family of victim killed in June road rage shooting speaks

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office believes a road rage crash and shooting left one man dead and another injured. This happened on the evening of June 28 in Lehigh Acres.

It’s been 10 days since a family lost their son. The last time he left the house was with a friend for a ride on an ATV. Dayami Oropeza is the victim’s mother.

“If my son would leave the house five times in a day, he would leave and give me five kisses and hugs every time. And now, I have nothing because of this guy who did this for nothing,” she said.

His mom says that’s the type of man Yairo Oropeza, 23, was. He was never too old or too proud to tell his mother how much he loved her.

Julianalee Cruz is Yairo’s girlfriend. She talked to him just before he was killed. “I called him on the phone and I told him that, ;Hey, I’m almost home,’ and he said, ‘OK, I’ll be there in about 10 minutes,'” Cruz explained.

Bu those 10 minutes came and went without Yairo making it home. Deputies believe the sketch below resembles the man who shot and killed him in what they’re referring to as a road rage incident.

The sheriff’s office has since released a composite drawing of one of the suspects and the car the suspects might have been driving in connection with the shooting just this week, on July 7.

Cruz says the sketch brings a bit of comfort to her and the rest of Yairo’s loved ones. “It is the closest that we’ve gotten, and it brings a little comfort into my heart knowing that we have a face instead of just a description,” she said.

That description was written at the same place that Oropeza was gunned down.

His mom says he had so much to look forward to. “He had a whole life ahead of him he had dreams,” Dayami said.

All that’s left of Yairo now is his legacy, the memorial made in his honor and the love his family has for him.

“Anybody that passes by, they’re obviously going to see the big sign, so it will maybe catch somebody’s attention, and they might know them,” said Cruz.

“‘Mi Yayi.’ I can’t … I know you’re not in this world, but you’re always here in my heart and in all those who love you,” Dayami said.

Yairo’s family is aware that nothing can bring him back, but they want justice to be served. They’re determined, just as he was, to spread the word and find the people who are involved.

“He was the most determined and hardworking person I’ve ever met in my life, and I was with him for almost three years, so he taught me a lot, and one thing he taught me was to be pushy. Don’t let anything go ever,” said Julianalee Cruz, Yairo’s girlfriend.

Deputies say the black sedan that the man and another suspect were in, who is described as a heavyset woman, might have gunshot damage.

If you have any information about the suspects or car involved, you can call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online or via the app.

At 8 p.m. Friday, the Oropeza family is holding a vigil for their son at the “Vapin it Up” shop in Lehigh Acres. They’re hoping to raise money to buy a billboard and hopefully, find the man who killed Yairo.