AI Summary
5 min readJust after midnight on May 3, 2015, 18-year-old Francisco Lopez decided to walk home from a party at his mother’s house in Ogden, Utah. He loved walking—he walked everywhere, sometimes four or five miles between his parents’ homes. He also loved loud music and going to the park. But Francisco had speech problems and learning disabilities, and his father, Aurelio Sandoval, remembers that other kids his age would tease him. That night, there had been a fight at the party. Francisco asked for a ride, but no one gave him one. So he started walking.
The shooting and the witnesses
Detective Steve Hill describes what happened next. Witnesses sitting at an intersection saw Francisco standing on a corner, making gestures with his arms as if questioning or confronting someone behind him. Then they heard gunshots—pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. They looked back and saw Francisco farther west, his body moving as if he were dancing as bullets hit him multiple times. He collapsed. People nearby stopped their cars and ran to help him. Two officers who had been responding to a noise disturbance nearby heard the shots and arrived within a minute. They found witnesses already trying to render aid. Francisco was killed while doing something as simple as walking home.
A family destroyed
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:33) **Francisco Lopez: A Portrait of the Victim** - Francisco's father, Aurelio Sandoval, describes him as a good-natured, loving 18-year-old who loved walking and loud music but struggled with speech problems and learning disabilities.
- 2 (01:50) **The Night of the Murder: May 3, 2015** - After a party at his mother's house ended a fight, Francisco asked for a ride but was refused, so he decided to walk home just after midnight.
- 3 (03:59) **Immediate Aftermath and Family Devastation** - Two nearby officers heard the gunshots and arrived within a minute to find witnesses helping Francisco, but the shooter's vehicle had already fled.
- 4 (08:34) **Reopening the Cold Case: Detective Haney's Investigation** - Ten years later, Detective Haney is retracing Francisco's steps and re-examining witness accounts to solve the case.
- 5 (10:20) **Gang Context and Mistaken Identity Theory** - Haney notes that while this area of Ogden felt safe, there were many similar shootings around the same time, where people walking were confronted about gang affiliation.
- 6 (12:37) **The Search for the Right Thread** - Haney compares solving a cold case to unraveling a sweater, needing just one correct tip to pull the whole case apart.
- 7 (16:50) **A Plea for Justice and Final Appeal** - Aurelio hopes his son's killer is not at peace, and believes the perpetrator should pay for the destruction caused to his family.
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Show Notes
On May 3, 2015, 18-year-old Francisco Lopez was killed in a drive-by shooting in Ogden. More than ten years later, police have reopened the case with new leads. His father, who describes Francisco as kind and full of life despite his learning disabilities, has spent years searching for answers. Now, with detectives taking a fresh look, they hope this will finally bring justice and closure.
If you have information on the homicide of Francisco “Cisco” Lopez, please contact the Weber County Cold Case Task Force tip line at 801-399-8672 or email [email protected]. Any detail, no matter how small, could help detectives move this case forward.
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