UPDATE: Amazon co-worker ‘drama’ turned into shooting at Pasco truck stop
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Amazon co-worker dispute at Pasco truck stop escalated into fatal shooting.
- Suspect Gilbert M. Lopez charged with second-degree murder and jailed.
- Victim Javier Romero, 18, died; family seeks funeral aid via GoFundMe.
“Drama” between several Amazon employees allegedly erupted into violence, leaving one man dead at the King City Truck Stop on Wednesday.
Javier Adrian Romero, 18, planned to fight Gilbert M. Lopez, 21, on East Hillsboro Street off Highway 395 in Pasco about 7 a.m. Wednesday. Romero believed the other man insulted a friend of his, court documents said.
But Lopez allegedly brought a gun to the meeting. Romero walked up to the truck that Lopez was driving and when the door opened, Lopez allegedly fired twice, witnesses told investigators.
Lopez appeared in court Thursday afternoon to face one count of second-degree murder for the shooting. He is being held in the Franklin County jail in lieu of $1 million.
He plans to hire an attorney. His next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether one needs to be appointed.
Court documents provide more information about the deadly confrontation that had brewed for days before the two men allegedly agreed to a fistfight.
The problem involved about three men, including Romero and Lopez, court documents said. Romero allegedly had overheard Lopez talking about one of Romero’s friends in the bathroom at work, starting an argument.
“Javier and Gilbert agreed to fight,” Officer Alexander Mino-Ramirez said in an affidavit. “Javier challenged Gilbert to a fight in the parking lot, and Gilbert told him to meet him at the gas station.”
They agreed to fight during their lunch break. Lopez arrived first and parked at the gas station with a friend inside his truck and waited.
Gun at the fistfight
Lopez arrived at the truck stop first with his friend. They went inside and got lunch and waited for Romero near the gas pumps.
Romero’s friend arrived in a separate car and spotted Lopez and called Romero to let him know.
The two friends each saw Romero arrive and walk toward the truck. Lopez’s friend saw him holding the gun behind the door. When the door opened, Lopez allegedly fired twice.
Romero dropped to the ground and Lopez drove to the Franklin County Courthouse where he called 911. He told dispatchers that he just shot a co-worker who had “tried to run in his (Gilbert’s) car.”
He was told to drive to the Pasco Police Department to meet detectives. He declined to discuss the shooting with them because he wanted to talk to an attorney.
Romero was taken to a hospital where he died.
GoFundMe Fundraiser
Family members said Romero was a “cherished son, brother, nephew, grandson and friend,” in a GoFundMe organized by Teresita Sanchez.
With his sudden death, family members are hoping for contributions that would help ease the cost of the funeral, Sanchez wrote.
“We want to give him the dignified and heartfelt send-off he deserves, but unfortunately, the financial burden of funeral expenses is overwhelming for our family during this already challenging time.”
His uncle, Salvador Sanchez, said Romero was just beginning his life, and had just bought his dream car.
“You had so much life ahead of you, and it breaks our hearts that your journey was cut short,” he said in a Facebook post. “But we trust that God has His reasons, even when we don’t understand them. He blessed us with 18 unforgettable years of your laughter, your light and your love — years we will cherish forever.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 12:19 PM.