Jose Lopez Arriaga

Jose Jesus Lopez Arriaga, a 35-year-old Hispanic man, was a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born on August 30, 1983. His life was brought to a violent end in November 2018, leaving loved ones to mourn his sudden loss. A few days after his death, friends and family gathered for a visitation at the Usher Funeral Home on Friday, November 23, 2018. Following the local services, Jose's final resting place was in the Panteon Municipal in Moctezuma, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, returning him to his country of birth.

The final hours of Jose’s life ended in the cold of an early Monday morning. On November 19, 2018, around 1:00 a.m., gunfire erupted in the parking lot of Fandango's, a bar located at 3336 W. 10th Street on the city's west side. The area, near the intersection of 10th Street and Tibbs Avenue, became an active crime scene as officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) responded to reports of a person shot.

When police arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of them was Jose Lopez Arriaga, who was discovered unresponsive in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Marion County Coroner’s Office later officially confirmed his identity and determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound, ruling the case a homicide. The second victim, another man, had been shot in the wrist. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment of his injury.

Homicide detectives with the IMPD immediately launched an investigation into the deadly shooting. They canvassed the area for evidence and sought to understand the sequence of events that led to the violence. According to a police spokesperson, one of the initial challenges investigators encountered was a language barrier as they tried to communicate with and interview potential witnesses at the scene. This complication made it difficult to quickly gather firsthand accounts of what had transpired before, during, and after the shooting.

In an effort to overcome the lack of witness statements, investigators turned their focus to technology. They expressed hope that they could obtain surveillance video from cameras mounted on nearby businesses. Such footage could potentially provide crucial evidence, possibly capturing images of the individuals involved or the vehicles they used, and shedding light on the moments that preceded the fatal confrontation. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, and authorities did not release any information about what might have prompted the altercation.

In the years that have passed since Jose Lopez Arriaga was killed, there have been no public updates from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department regarding the status of the investigation. No suspects have been named, and no arrests have been announced in connection with his murder. The case remains unsolved, and the questions of who was responsible and why the shooting occurred are still unanswered. His family and community have been left without a sense of justice or closure. No reward information has been publicly offered for tips leading to an arrest.