Rochester police blame road rage in fatal shooting in shopping center parking lot

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Police say a road rage incident likely preceded the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old Rochester man Saturday.

Osbel Ornelas, 24, was killed after being shot in the head during an altercation at a shopping center parking lot around 2:12 p.m. Saturday, Rochester police said.

Two brothers, Jose Gutierrez Ojeda, 26, and Isaac Gutierrez, 20, are in custody at the Olmsted County Adult Detention from the incident. Isaac Gutierrez is awaiting arraignment on a charge of second-degree murder, and Jose Gutierrez Ojeda is being held on felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Both remained at the scene of the shooting at 1201 Broadway Ave. S, near Chick-fil-A when police arrived, said Rochester Police Capt. Casey Moilanen. Jose Gutierrez Ojeda told police he had shot Ornelas in self-defense.

After reviewing cellphone video of the encounter and interviewing witnesses, police believe Isaac Gutierrez fired the fatal and only shot in the exchange. Moilanen said the charges were reversed based on what the two suspects told police.

“As we conducted more investigation and reviewed video that was available to us by witnesses and businesses in the area, we were able to clearly see that Isaac was the one that ended up shooting him,” Moilanen said. “That’s the explanation for the changes in the charges on these two.”

According to witness accounts, Ornelas and Jose Gutierrez Ojeda were both driving vehicles in the shopping center when the altercation began, Moilanen said. The drivers got out of their cars as the altercation escalated and both began to fight.

Jose Gutierrez Ojeda initially brandished a pistol and appeared to rack the firearm to chamber a round. Jose Gutierrez Ojeda appears to then put the weapon back in the car and return to fighting with Ornelas. After a passenger in Ornelas’ car got out to join the fight, Isaac Gutierrez also got out of the vehicle with the firearm and fired one shot at close range, striking Ornelas in the head.

Ornelas was taken to the emergency department at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys, where lifesaving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

Moilanan said Jose Gutierrez Ojeda told police he had been jumped by both Ornelas and Ornelas’ passenger and that he fired in self-defense.

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