Amos Pacheco had a quiet strength, said his mother, Michelle Garcia Flores. He didn't go looking for a fight, and when one broke out between his friends, he often was the peacemaker.
"Someone took his life," she said, her face stained with tears. "I still can't believe it."
And Friday night when he was shot and killed, 25-year-old Pacheco didn't want to fight, his girlfriend, Ana Torres, 24, said.
He'd come to the house near 5700 South and 4600 West to drop off Torres' two children at the home of their father, Joshua James Montoya, 26.
Police said Montoya came out of the house and approached the car at about 5:30 p.m. He confronted Pacheco about rumors that he was talking behind Montoya's back, Unified Police Lt. Don Hutson said.
Pacheco "didn't want to get into it; he was trying to calm him down," Torres said.
Police say Montoya fired a handgun, hitting Pacheco in the chest and killing him. Montoya ran, but police surrounded and arrested him about four hours later. He was booked on suspicion of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice because he hid the gun at a West Valley City home.
"After me and Amos got together, they had fights, but I never thought it would come to this, not ever," Torres said. On Saturday, she went to Garcia Flores' home, along with a crowd of family and friends, to try to understand Pacheco's death.
"This is a very close family," Garcia Flores said. Pacheco loved to watch football and spend time with his two brothers. He went hunting with his uncles, and was the only one of the group to bag a deer this year, his mother said.
"He loved to be out; he loved the sunshine," she said. In addition to his children, mother and brothers, he also leaves behind his stepfather, Adolfo Flores.
Also at the home was LaToya Footracer, 24, the mother of Pacheco's two children.
"He had his head on straight. He knew what he wanted to be and what he didn't want to be," Footracer said.
He'd worked at Salt Lake Truck Wash for the past 10 years. They met in the third grade, and started dating in junior high. They had been together for nearly 14 years.
They remained friends after they broke up, and stayed dedicated to their children, 19-month-old Leo Max and 5-year-old Elena.
"He'd grown up without his dad," Footracer said. "He didn't want that for our kids. He loved his kids so much."
Amos Pacheco's family has set up an account for donations to help with funeral expenses and his children. Donate at any University Federal Credit Union under the name of his mother, Michelle Garcia Flores.
