During the afternoon of last Monday, May 19, Manuel Vega Lópeza 51 -year -old Latin American gardener, was shot dead allegedly being confused with a “malleant” when he arrived in the town of Gilbertlocated in the county Maricopain the state of Arizonawhere the trees of a neighbor who hired him was prepared.
The Vega López family is devastated. The victim’s wife assured the television network Telemundo that her husband had been killed because of the discrimination that exists in the United States: “I think he was killed by racismIt was not for anything else, ”said Manuel’s spouse.
According to the wife’s testimony, His three children were waiting for him at home on that Monday, May 19 And they never imagined that a normal work day would become a nightmare For the whole family: “My dad was a good man, we were waiting for him to have dinnerbut he never returned, ”added the daughter Major of Manuel Vega López.
According to the US chain Univisionthe victim was originally from the Mexican State of Oaxaca And, in addition to being the only provider of his family, he was in charge of taking his youngest son, who beat the leukemiato his medical reviews, as well as accompanying his wife, who suffers from kidney disease terminal.
They confuse gardener with a thief
“He was all for me because, in addition to working, I always took care of me,” said the wife of the murdered gardener, Paulina Salazár Hernández, who receives a treatment that cleanses the blood when the kidneys cannot do so, known as dialysiswhich helps eliminate excess fluid and products from disposal that accumulate.
“Actually, he took care of everyone. As you know, my son is sick And now they took my husband. That is why I ask for justice, ”said the victim’s spouse.
The attack would have been committed by Wyatt Bruce Ford, an American citizen identified as the man who rented The house that Vega went to work.
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As reported by Telemundo and Univisión, Ford confronted Manuel after confusing him with a thief: “Wyatt Bruce believed that López was involved in incidents previous attempts heist and vandalism to their trailer, ”said US television networks, which accessed judicial documents.
Given this situation, Wyatt Bruce Ford, indicated as the main suspicious In this case, it was arrested by the Arizona Police Department, after allegedly “having taken a firearm and shooting the victim four times”, although he assured the authorities that he did not want to kill a innocent.
Arizona Police documents also detail that a witness informed the authorities that the owner of the house had notified the rest of the neighbors, through a instant messages “In which the suspect was also,” that a gardener would arrive in the neighborhood to perform a job on May 19.
Given the circumstances, Wyatt Bruce Ford, 28, a bond of US $ 1 million (Q7 million 659 thousand) for the position of murder In the state of Arizona. However, the victim’s family hopes that the person in charge can fulfill a 25 -year condemnation in the Maricopa County prison, “to pay for their actions.”