Jose Valenzuela, a 40-year-old Hispanic man, was fatally shot in Omaha, Nebraska on July 16, 2021, during a family visit. The person charged in connection with the shooting was his 23-year-old son, Julian Lopez, who had been visiting from Florida.

Lopez told police he has a history of mental illness, including a schizophrenia diagnosis, and said his father entered his bedroom with a gun and told him to shoot. Lopez said he initially sat on the firearm, fired two warning shots into a wall, then shot his father twice. His attorney argued those details supported manslaughter rather than second-degree murder, claiming no intent to kill.

At the time, Lopez was on probation in Florida for a prior violent incident involving another family member. In August 2021 a judge ordered him to stand trial on second-degree murder and a weapons count in Valenzuela’s death. If anyone knew Jose or has information about what happened that day, please share what you remember.