A story for every victim

David Adalberto Hernandez-Licona, 25

David Adalberto Hernandez-Licona, a 25-year-old Latino, was fatally shot on Wednesday, Jan. 16, on Rancho Center Drive at City Ranch Road, about a half mile south of Elizabeth Lake Road in Palmdale, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators. 

Hernandez-Licona, a resident of Boyle Heights, was one of four men who were shot on the remote, unlighted road around 11 p.m. that night, according to Lt. Derrick Alfred. 

Three of the men, including Hernandez-Licona, were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth man called 911 to report he had been shot in the face. The survivor was taken to a Palmdale  hospital that night, and later transferred to an undisclosed location for more "specialized medical care," Alfred said Tuesday.

The other dead were listed as Sean B. Cowen, a 24-year-old white male from Van Nuys, and Olukayode A. "Kayode" Owolabi, a 27-year-old black male from the South Bay community of Westchester, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records. 

Hernandez-Licona was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:55 p.m., according to coroner's records. The cause of death was listed as multiple gunshot wounds. 

The survivor, identified only as male, has out-of-state identification and family, Alfred said. Investigators have not released any other information about the man except to say he is in intensive care but expected to recover. 

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting, Alfred said, and are not releasing any more details. 

One resident in the remote area reported hearing about 20 gunshots around 11 p.m. that evening, and then a single shot 10 minutes later, The Times reported.  He said the rounds sounded like semiautomatic gunfire. 

Alfred said investigators aren't releasing any information about the spent rounds found at the shooting site. No guns were found at the scene. 

The victims were in the front seats of two cars, and were shot where they sat, according to Alfred. He described the cars as a Toyota Camry sedan and an Audi SUV.

Hernandez-Licona was the father of two young children, according to a fundraising page set up to help his family with burial expenses.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," his sister Chrissie Sosa wrote on the fundraising page. "We are heartbroken and my mother can not bear the pain of losing one of her eight children. My brother was not a bad person, he didn't deserve for this to happen."

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

Share a memory or thought about David Adalberto Hernandez-Licona

Before you post, here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Remember, all posts are approved by a Times staffer. Profanity and personal attacks will not be approved.

  Required
  Required

Three reader comments