An Idaho jury has found 25-year-old Brian Moreno guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of 23-year-old Joe Flores in the parking lot of a Buffalo Wild Wings in Nampa.
The Sept. 1, 2022, incident was described by the Nampa Police Department as gang-related. According to courtroom reporting, Flores was at the restaurant when two groups from rival gangs encountered each other and an altercation broke out. Court documents cited in local coverage indicate that cellphone video from the scene captured someone telling Moreno to get a gun shortly before shots were fired.
When officers arrived, they found Flores suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man was also shot but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police later said Flores had no gang affiliation and described him as an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a gang dispute. His family remembered him as someone who loved trucks and the outdoors and who “always found the good in others.”
Other Defendants
Moreno was one of six men charged in connection with the shooting, but he was the only one charged with Flores’ murder. Pedro Navarro Jr., 21, was charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder, rioting and aiding and abetting aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, and the remaining charges were dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19.
Lazaro Vela, 19, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty. His trial date has not yet been set. Three additional defendants face felony charges including accessory to a felony and rioting.
Moreno was convicted of first-degree murder with a gang enhancement. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.
