Man behind Taco’s Choice shooting headed to prison for life

The man behind the Taco’s Choice shooting in August of 2013 will be sentenced to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said Giovanni Pacheco, 24, pled guilty to murdering three men and hurting four others in the shooting.

On August 5, 2013, Pacheco and his family were eating at Taco’s Choice in Salinas. At some point that night, Pacheco started arguing with people outside of the restaurant over two women in his party.

During the argument, Pacheco fatally shot three men and hurt four others in the crowd. The victims who were killed include Edgar Salinas, 28, Victor Ortiz, 22, and Alejandro Hernandez, 25.

Pacheco was eligible for the death penalty in this case. Officials decided against that for a number of reasons: age, lack of a substantial criminal record, lower intellectual ability, intoxication, and a quarrel that was sudden and not planned. The families of the victims and surviving victims were contacted before this decision was made. They were unanimous in their desire to see closure instead of waiting on litigation.

Pacheco will be sentenced on April 8.