The news has impacted Costa Rica: a man died after being shot 14 times, after an old conflict between neighbors. The victim is Otoniel Orozco Mendoza, a 53-year-old Nicaraguan nationalized in Costa Rica. The events have caused outrage at the level of violence with which Orozco was attacked and because they have been recorded in security cameras.
The incident occurred in front of the residence of both families involved, on Monday morning, June 3, in the Río Palma condominium, in San José. Costa Rican Eduardo Ramírez Zamora is the one accused of murdering him, who is being held in preventive detention and who was seized by the Judicial Police with a 9-millimeter caliber weapon, according to the newspaper La Nación. The Costa Rican Public Ministry reported that Orozco had previously denounced Ramírez for assaults with weapons.
Relatives and neighbors of the two men said that the attack on Orozco occurred in the context of a prolonged conflict between the two, whose houses are next to each other.
Eduardo Ramírez Reyes, father of the detainee, assured that the conflict was triggered three years ago, due to a construction carried out by Orozco in the back of his house, which – according to him – affected his son's home, he reported to the Costa Rican media
CRToday.
Meanwhile, the victim's sister-in-law criticized the lack of action by the authorities and the community to address the situation. He mentioned a series of previous unsolved incidents, expressing surprise and frustration at the inaction of both the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the neighbors, Teletica registered on its website.
What happened, according to the video that circulates in networks, was, first, a discussion between two neighbors. Ramírez's wife tells Orozco's wife not to close the drinking water tap. Often the two men go out into the garden. Ramírez took out a gun, loaded it, and put it on his waist. Orozco tried to hit Ramírez and then the latter took out the weapon and shot him several times.
Tico made derogatory comments about the Nicaraguan nationality of victim
A condominium inhabitant commented to the canal
Teletica that Ramírez was referring negatively to the nationality of the victim.
"The neighbor who caused Don Otoniel's death already had many things against him for years. He teased him every time he went out, threw the car at his wife, teased his children, and made derogatory comments regarding his nationality.
He said he did not understand how a Nicaraguan could live in a place like this". The Río Palma condominium is located in the Guachipelín area of the Escazú district, a residential area with a majority upper and upper middle class population.
Violence crisis in Costa Rica
Researcher Carlos Sandoval, an expert in Migration from the University of Costa Rica (UCR), stresses that, although xenophobia may have influenced the facts, it is not the key factor. “ Whether it was the Nicaraguan person (victim) or not, without a firearm, possibly would have had a different outcome ”, he clarifies.
He points out that polarization and access to firearms are the central problems. “ Polarization in Costa Rican society, which turns small conflicts into deadly tragedies, regardless of nationality; second, the impact of firearms on these conflicts, that they could have different outcomes if they were resolved in a peaceful and respectful way ”, he reinforces.
In addition, he comments that this case is notable for society because it happens in an area that is not socially stigmatized, it is not a low-income neighborhood, but of upper middle or upper middle class. This highlights the difficulties of coexistence at all levels, which should draw the attention of society as a whole and motivate the government to implement effective strategies to collect firearms, Sandoval said.
Erick Villalba, criminologist and former OIJ agent, pointed to
Nation that the country is going through a deep crisis of violence that causes “ a feeling of collective stress, fear and a certain level of violence that some people have repressed ”.
Costa Rica is experiencing a crisis of insecurity, with record numbers of homicides. Last year the homicide rate reached a record high of 17.2 per 100,000 population, which means an increase of 98% in ten years. So far this year, the OIJ registers 365 homicides across the country.
Between January and September 2023, 10% of the victims of intentional homicides in Costa Rica were Nicaraguan, as recorded by the report
“ Nicaraguans live “ the most violent year ” in Costa Rica between shootings and drug stores ”.
¿Who was Otoniel Orozco Mendoza murdered in Costa Rica?
Orozco, 53, originally from Matagalpa, Nicaragua, owned the security company Private Security Costa Rica. He previously lived in the La Peregrina neighborhood, in La Uruca, before moving to Escazú. Neighbors of La Uruca remember Orozco as a working man. "We were neighbors almost 15 years ago. I remember him as a responsible and hard-working person. He always wanted to prosper and offer a better quality of life to his family, that's why they moved to Escazú, "he described
CONFIDENTIAL, Ana Montenegro, Orozco's exvecina.
Otoniel Orozco Mendoza had a security company in Costa Rica. Photo: Courtesy
Orozco's family moved from Nicaragua to Costa Rica more than 20 years ago in search of work. The marriage opened a security company, legally registered it, and both migrants became Costa Rican national. "They did things well. I am so sad to know that his wife is a widow and with five children, one of them one year old, "added Montenegro.
Orozco had filed previous complaints
The Nicaraguan had previously denounced Ramírez for assaulting him with a weapon. The Public Ministry confirmed this information to the Costa Rican newspaper
The tile, noting that Orozco had filed the complaint with the Pavas Prosecutor's Office, San José. After analyzing the case, the Prosecutor's Office had made a significant decision.
“ An alleged crime of assault with weapons was investigated, to the detriment of a man with surnames Orozco Mendoza, and then the case was referred to the Criminal Court with accusation and request to open trial ”, the Prosecutor's Office reported.
La Teja consulted the press office of the Judiciary on whether the Criminal Court that received the accusation determined whether the case should go to trial. At the moment, a response is expected.
In addition, the Public Ministry revealed another criminal case in which Ramírez Zamora was involved and his dismissal was requested. It is unknown when the complaints that originated these cases were presented, it is only known that they were in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
On the contrary, Ramírez Zamora's father narrated an alleged harassment by Orozco towards his son and his family.