A 24-year-old man who was fatally shot during a fight between opposing groups near the Santa Monica Pier was identified Tuesday.
The shooting was reported at about 12:30 a.m. Monday in a parking lot on the south side of the pier, according to a sergeant on the watch commander’s desk of the Santa Monica Police Department.
Officers arrived in a parking lot designated 1 North and found the victim, identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office as Edgar Buitmea, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Buitmea was pronounced dead at the scene, near where a watch party had taken place for the World Cup final, which ended more than eight hours before the gunfire erupted.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that a physical altercation occurred between two groups prior to the shooting,” according to a police statement. “The circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation. The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The suspect or suspects remain outstanding. Santa Monica Police Department detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and there is no additional suspect information available for release at this time.”
A body could be seen in the lot, according to a report from the scene.
The homicide was the first in Santa Monica since March 28 and fourth of the year, matching the total for 2025, Lt. Lewis Gilmour told City News Service.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information about what happened was urged to contact the SMPD at 310-458-8491.