Joe Anthony Garcia, a 27-year-old male, died Sunday, Sept. 5, after being shot near 14830 E. Giordano St. in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Timothy Andrew Licon, a 38-year-old Latino male, died Friday, April 2, after being shot near 1103 Stichman Ave. in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Christopher Perez, a 23-year-old Latino male, died Friday, Dec. 11, after being shot near 510 Vineland Ave. in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Nicholas James Zuniga, a 27-year-old Latino male, died Wednesday, Dec. 9, after being shot near 1002 Greenberry Drive in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Santiago Garcia Mejia, a 21-year-old Latino male, died Monday, Oct. 5, after being shot near 632 N. California Ave. in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Alfredo Reyes, a 20-year-old Latino male, died Saturday, April 11, after being shot near Giordano Street & Glenshaw Drive in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.

Alejandra Claudia Hernandez, a 24-year-old Latina, was fatally shot on Saturday, Jan. 12, in the 1300 block of Glenshaw Drive in the West Valinda area of La Puente, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner records. 

Hernandez, a resident of Covina, was visiting a home on Glenshaw Drive when a man described only as a Latino came inside and shot her, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Hoglund. 

Shortly after the shooting, the occupant of the house called 911, Hoglund said.

Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene at 1 p.m., according to coroner's records. The cause of death was listed as multiple gunshot wounds. 

According to her Facebook page,  Hernandez was engaged to the father of their children, and started working for the YMCA of Orange County in August 2018. 

Her last post, in late October, was a request asking friends to contribute to the YMCA. 

Investigators …

Continue reading »

 Vincent Edward Hernandez Jr., a 39-year-old Latino, died Monday, Sept. 11, after he was shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in the 1200 block of Stichman Avenue in the West Puente Valley community of Bassett, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Members of Hernandez’s family called deputies about 4:40 p.m. saying he was using narcotics and creating a disturbance, said Sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore. 

Deputies tried to talk to Hernandez, but he had locked himself in a bedroom, Moore said. Hernandez ignored deputies’ orders that he leave the room, and instead climbed out the bedroom window into the backyard, Moore said. 

Two deputies confronted Hernandez in the backyard, Moore said, and saw that he was holding what looked like two guns, a rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other.

Hernandez ignored their orders to drop the guns and instead fired twice at the deputies, who …

Continue reading »

Enrique Ortiz Jr., a 17-year-old Latino, died of gunshot wounds Sunday, Nov. 15, in the 14100 block of Barrydale Street in West Puente Valley, an unincorporated community near West Covina, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

The shooting occurred during a backyard party about 11:50 p.m. on Nov. 14, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Jauch.

Ortiz, who lived in El Monte, was attending the party and apparently got into a dispute with a man at the party, Jauch said. The man shot Ortiz in the upper torso. 

Another partygoer, a Latino in his 20s, was also struck by gunfire in his hand, Jauch said.   

Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene about 20 minutes after the shooting, according to coroner’s records. The other shooting victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to recover, Jauch said. 

The shooter, described only as a Latino …

Continue reading »

Luis Segura, a 44-year-old Latino, was pronounced dead Wednesday, Aug. 26, two days after being beaten in the 13400 block of Moccasin Street in West Puente Valley, according to authorities.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to Segura’s neighborhood about 7 p.m. Aug. 24 when Segura’s wife reported that her husband had been assaulted outside their home and that the assailants were trying to load the man’s body into a van.

Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Robert Martindale said that when the attackers saw Segura’s wife, they ran into their house, next door to Segura’s, where they barricaded themselves for several hours. A Sheriff’s Department SWAT team forced them out with tear gas, and the men were arrested.

Segura, a house painter and father of five, was taken to a local hospital “where he was labeled as brain dead almost immediately,” Martindale said. Two doctors pronounced Segura dead at 5 …

Continue reading »

Erik Sainz, a 17-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Friday, Dec. 19, in the 700 block of Millbury Avenue in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., Sainz, along with several others, were standing in the driveway of a home when two people walked up.

A gunman shot Sainz in the upper torso with a handgun, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Sainz was pronounced dead in the driveway at 11:48 a.m., according to coroner’s records.

The gunman and the other person were last seen driving away in a blue or green vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Richard Robert Quijada, a 60-year-old Latino male, died Friday, March 8, after being shot in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Maxwell Laguna, an 18-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Saturday, May 8, at the corner of Sandy Hook Avenue and Sauder Street in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Laguna was at a party Saturday evening when he got into an argument and was shot, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner's office.

Authorities were called, and Laguna was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:22 p.m., Winter said.

-- Sarah Ardalani

Angel Caldera, a 34-year-old man described by the coroner as white, was shot and killed Tuesday, Jan. 26, on Fairgrove Avenue, west of Evanwood Avenue in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County coroner's officials.

Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said Caldera was standing on a street corner when a car drove by and at least one person fired several shots. Caldera was hit several times in the torso and legs at 3:44 p.m.

He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:43 p.m., Winter said.

-- Anthony Pesce

Michael Espana, a 22-year-old Latino, was stabbed to death Friday, Jan. 1, in the 13600 block of Hutchcroft Street in West Puente Valley, according to Los Angeles County coroner's officials.

Espana was standing outside of his home when someone walked up and stabbed him three times, said Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office. Espana was attacked at about 1:53 a.m. He was taken to a hospital where he died at 8:02 a.m.

-- Anthony Pesce