After the suspects were charged, Camacho’s mother walked into Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice and said, “Justice! Justice has been done! They gave me justice. I can sleep in peace. I can eat and drink a little cup of coffee in the morning.”
Police dubbed the gathering of the suspects “Operation Knockout.” Three of the suspects were serving sentences for crimes unrelated to the Camacho shooting. They were later moved from a Florida prison to one in Puerto Rico. The fourth suspect was arrested not far from where Camacho was shot in Bayamon, and the fifth was already in prison in Puerto Rico in an unrelated case. Two other suspects were killed in 2013 and 2015.
The suspects names were revealed to be William Rodriguez Rodriguez, Luis Ayala Garcia, Joshua Mendez Romero Jesus Naranjo Adorno and Juan Figueroa Rivera.
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Camacho was a multi-time Golden Gloves champion who made his pro debut in 1980. He held the WBC super-featherweight, WBC lightweight, WBO and WBC light-welterweight and IBF welterweight titles. During his career, “Macho” faced the likes of Freddie Roach, Vinny Pazienza, Greg Haugen, Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya. Camacho took a break from boxing after 2005 and returned in 2008. His last fight was a loss against Saul Duran in 2010.
A colorful figure, Camacho wore creative outfits to the ring and had 38 wins via knockout. Outside of boxing, Camacho, the person, appeared on several TV programs. Music stars have also used his name within their lyrics, and he has been referenced multiple times in the entertainment industry.
In 2012, Camacho was shot in Puerto Rico while in his friend’s Ford Mustang. Camacho was considered brain dead after several hours, and his mother took him off life support. Childhood friend Adrian Mojica Moreno also was killed in the attack.
Victor Callejas, a boxing champion and friend of Camacho, was relieved to hear that the suspects were getting charged. Now, he and Puerto Rico can honor him in peace.
“He (Camacho) was not the type of person who sought enemies,” Callejas told the AP. “To the contrary, he was always looking to make people laugh one way or another. He was a unique character.”
Hector Camacho Jr., the son of the late boxer, competed in the sport and also won gold. Camacho was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.
