The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved or renewed rewards in four unrelated fatal shootings in Florence-Firestone, Windsor Hills, Altadena and Norwalk with victims ranging in age from 4 to 53.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recommended a $10,000 reward for information leading to whoever killed 21-year-old Jesse Puente in the Florence-Firestone community last May.
On the night of May 19, Puente was standing in front of a building in the 1600 block of Florence Avenue when a man walked up, spoke briefly and then fired several rounds from a semi-automatic handgun at Puente and two other men standing with him.
Puente died at the scene, while the other two survived their wounds, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Detectives recovered video surveillance that they say reveals the gunman’s face — with a tattoo on his right cheek — and asked the board’s help in establishing a reward, Ridley-Thomas said.
Ridley-Thomas also recommended renewing a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman who shot and killed 53-year-old Timothy Jackson on the night of Feb. 8 at his home in the 3500 block of Floresta Avenue in Windsor Hills. That reward was set to expire Jan. 24 but will now be available for at least 90 days.
Jackson, a father of three who worked in the real estate industry, was found dead in his backyard with multiple gunshot wounds by deputies responding to 911 calls reporting gunshots around 10:30 p.m.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger asked her colleagues to reinstate a $20,000 reward for information on the shooting of 4-year-old Salvador Esparza in Altadena about 10:30 p.m. on July 5, 2016. The offer had expired Friday.
Detectives said a suspected gang member was chasing a 27-year-old man onto a property in the 300 block of West Figueroa Drive and fired at least 13 rounds, striking both the man and the tot, who was shot once in the head. The wounded man survived.
Authorities believe the shooting was gang-related, and that Salvador and his family — who lived in Monrovia and were visiting friends — were not intended targets.
At the time of the shooting, sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said a person of interest had gotten into a heated, alcohol-fueled argument in the street with the live-in boyfriend of the boy’s mother an hour or two before the shooting.
The boyfriend and his brother were the shooter’s intended targets, Corina said. Several other children were asleep inside the house when the gunfire broke out, Corina said.
Supervisor Janice Hahn recommended extending a $10,000 reward, set to expire Monday, in the case of 22-year-old Robert Garcia, who was shot just before midnight on June 28, 2012, after completing a shift at Vernola’s Tow in the 13500 block of Norwalk Boulevard.
Security video from the tow yard showed three men confronting Garcia near a parked tow truck.
“Robert fled eastbound on Front Street toward the business, but was fatally shot multiple times at the front door of the building. Robert was a hardworking provider for his budding family, and had two small children at the time of his death,” according to a sheriff’s statement issued last year.
The suspects were described only as Hispanic males in their early to late teens, with thin builds. Two wore dark clothing, and one wore light clothing.
Anyone with additional information on any of the shootings was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).