Benjamin Moncada-Rivas

Benjamin Moncada-Rivas, a 32-year-old Hispanic man, sent his girlfriend a chilling final text message on the night of August 3, 2017: "I'm dead." Moments later, he was shot and killed in Salt Lake City, Utah. His death was one of several violent crimes that drew the attention of city and state leaders to the city's Rio Grande neighborhood that summer.

That Thursday evening, around 10 p.m., Moncada-Rivas was walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of 501 W. 200 South when a man approached him from behind. The assailant fired five to six shots, striking Moncada-Rivas multiple times in the back and head. A Salt Lake City police officer several blocks away heard the gunfire and saw a person fleeing the scene. The officer gave chase but lost the individual, then returned to the intersection to find Moncada-Rivas gravely wounded. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Salt Lake City Police Department launched an immediate homicide investigation. Detectives utilized surveillance footage from a nearby homeless shelter to track the suspected gunman. The video led them to a group of people sitting nearby, where they identified a man trying to blend in. The man, 23-year-old Oscar Armando Carrillo Flores, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.

According to police reports, Flores, a Honduran national, quickly admitted to the crime. He allegedly told investigators that Moncada-Rivas had previously threatened to kill him, and he had decided to find him first. When officers arrested Flores, they found him sitting on a large amount of cash. A search of the immediate area uncovered a small black handgun concealed under a red T-shirt behind a wrought iron fence near where Flores had been sitting. Police also believe Flores attempted to hide his cellphone in another person's backpack.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office charged Oscar Armando Carrillo Flores with murder, a first-degree felony. He faced an additional seven charges, including five counts of discharge of a firearm resulting in serious injury, possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and obstruction of justice. According to court documents, Flores was living in the country illegally, and the Department of Homeland Security placed a federal detainer hold on him. At the time of his arrest, Flores told police he sold "unlawful controlled substances in the shelter area to support himself and his wife." A search warrant also stated that Moncada-Rivas was known as a drug dealer in the Rio Grande area.

The killing of Benjamin Moncada-Rivas was the third homicide in the Rio Grande district in just over a week, prompting concern from the community and local officials about the escalating violence in the neighborhood. The area, near a large homeless shelter, was known for its high concentration of drug activity and crime. The string of violent deaths highlighted the challenges faced by law enforcement and social services in ensuring the safety of the area's vulnerable residents.

Despite the swift arrest and the charges filed against Oscar Armando Carrillo Flores, information regarding the final disposition of his court case is not publicly available as of September 2017. Details about Benjamin Moncada-Rivas's life, his family, and his journey that led him to Salt Lake City remain scarce. His death is a stark reminder of the often-unseen struggles and dangers that can culminate in sudden and tragic violence. The investigation into his murder was handled by the Salt Lake City Police Department.