The sign for the Walnut Street Center Market in The Dalles. June 28, 2024 (courtesy Google Maps Street View).

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man has been arrested and accused of murder after a confrontation between him and patrons in a market in The Dalles last Saturday led to a deadly shooting, officials said.

The Wasco County District Attorney’s Office announced a grand jury indicted 23-year-old Noe Zaragoza, Jr. for murder and other charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly entered the Walnut Street Center Market in The Dalles, armed with a gun, in the early hours of June 22.

As a release from the DA’s office alleged, “Prior to entry, Zaragoza, Jr. pulled a firearm out of his waistband, checked it, and then put it back into his pants. Zaragoza, Jr. engaged in a confrontation with a patron once inside the store. During the altercation, Mariah Hernandez stepped in to defend her friend. Zaragoza, Jr. pulled a firearm and pointed it at Ms. Hernandez. Ms. Hernandez slapped the firearm in response. Zaragoza, Jr. then struck Ms. Hernandez with his firearm to the side of her face. Ms. Hernandez’s husband, Michael Boyer, stepped in to defend his wife. Zaragoza, Jr. fired two shots into Mr. Boyer before fleeing the Center Market. Mr. Boyer died from the gunshot wounds.”

Zaragoza, Jr. was arrested later that same day by law enforcement in Clark County after being located in the early afternoon in a hotel in Camas. A gun was also found in the hotel, officials said. He was later indicted for the murder and other charges on Wednesday and transported to The Dalles from Vancouver.

In addition to the second-degree murder charge for the alleged killing of Boyer, Zaragoza, Jr. also faces a fourth-degree assault charge for allegedly hitting Hernandez in the face with a gun. He’s also charged with two counts of unlawful gun use and menacing.

Zaragoza, Jr. is currently being lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility in The Dalles. He is set to be arraigned from that facility on July 1.