The Homicide Report

A story for every victim

The Homicide Report

Juan Antonio Guerrero, 19

March 8, 2010, 11:13 a.m.

Juan Guerrero, a 19-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Friday, March 5, in the 200 block of North Soto Street in Boyle Heights, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said that at about 6 p.m. Guerrero was standing on the street when someone approached and shot him several times.

The victim was taken to County USC Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:41 p.m., Winter said.

--Sarah Ardalani

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86 reader comments

A lot of young children are influenced by their peers and friends. At a young age, children just want to hang out with their friends and have good times. Parents and family always wish for the best for their children and always hope for them to join the right or "good" group of friends. It is difficult for parents and family to keep up with their children’s friends. Yes, it is the parent’s responsibility to become involve in their children's behavior and life. Young kids join gangs because they want to be involved and accepted in a group of peers. Sometimes they do not know what they are actually getting into. This gentleman was attracted and became involved in this group at a very young age. He was determined to continue school and was involved because he liked his friends. His parents tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING to get him out because they knew the upcoming consequences.
Instead of judging and criticizing people, we should help these children to become aware of the consequences. This is not an easy issue and gang related activity is increasing. Criticizing a person is not going to do any good. Instead, we should help and prevent gang related activity. I just hope anyone who is involved in a gang take their family into consideration and keep in mind they are the ones who suffer the most. Life decisions are hard but people can always seek for help. It's never too late.

— Hope April 25, 2012 at 10:23 p.m.

I frequent these homicide reports and read the comments. So many people have negative views on gangsters, which is right. At the same time, ask yourself what have you done to provide outlets for these youths? not many men join gangs in their 30's. People get involved at a young age. syscom3 is always posting negative things, but never sheds light on what's he done to rid society of this problem. I know for a fact that children of the late 70's and 80's are involved with gangs because the lack of direction from the parenting generation of those eras. While you were all partying wearing your tight leather and living the wild 80's life, you left your child to be raised by the streets. I blame the parents from the 70's and 80's, that left the youth with no outlets other than the streets. What happened to after school programs, the same programs I went to in the many parks in the 80's?

Yeah this guy was a gangster, but everyone in society should look at themselves and take partial blame. Prisons are big business, and the only way you keep the business of prisons alive is by allowing gangs to exists. When I see a gangster, I just see another lost youth and another human being. When it all boils down to it, we're all humans and we all make bad choices in life, that we learn from.

— Pasadenaguy Aug. 25, 2011 at 8:14 a.m.

Fuk what every one says or thinks. If you never got the chance to get to know this person you have no right to speak up about him. Juan was a very nice and respecfull guy. We had our good time together. I'm happy to say we got to spend my 19th birthday together with our friends. And those memories will never be lost but tresured in my corazon. Now
I'm sitting here thinking bout you and the days we use to share. I went away to handle my buizz and regreat not telling you, we could of still be friends. But i got up and left, without saying a word. We were close friend and also lovers. Now i got to live life and lieve it some how.You were a true BREEDster and kepd it real. Never disrespected his hefita. But we will see each other once again in our next lifes. We miss you homie and you will never be forgotten. Rest In Peace =JUAN=

— lufhsaB.L Jan. 27, 2011 at 9:19 a.m.

All of you people posting about how God is so loving, merciful, and it doesn’t matter what you do because God still loves you, have a lot to learn.

God does love you as long as you obey him. Being a gangster is in no way obeying him. The bible is filled with examples of the way God punishes people for disobeying. Ever heard of Sodom and Gamorrah: two cities destroyed for their sins, Sauls wife was turned into a pillar of salt just for looking back, Ananias and Sapphira both struck down for one lie, he killed three thousand in one day for the sin of fornication, I can go on and on. My point is that for people to live their life anyway they feel and think that God loves them is just foolish, all you have to do is open a bible to see where you stand.

For the people that have things twisted and think that if someone points out their wrong doing is judging them, pull your head out. It is your duties to point out someone’s error’s so that they and other people can learn from them and correct them, as when Cain asked God “am I my brother’s keeper”? YES YOU ARE!!

— Eye Opener Jan. 9, 2011 at 12:58 p.m.

The one thing i don't understand is how poeple who don't no him can say things so disrespectful about someone you don't everyone has a badside it doesn't give someone the right to say the things they say about you when you die let him r.i.p I am sorry for his family and friends for lost. it's never easy to see someone you love die and this guy and girl (syscom3
)had the money the thing they need to be what ever they pick more then likely he did what he felt he had to live the way he did.ps syscom3
i come on here most everyday so see how the usa doen't help or care how their poeple live or die your laws you study don't mean anything on the streets because they are there to protect the rich and among other so once again i am sorry to the family and his friends for they lost and i am sorry for posting on this when i didn't know him but i couldn't stand by well some person disrespect the young man noone should die.GOD LOVES ALL EVEN GANGSTA

— outside of USA Oct. 7, 2010 at 5:56 a.m.

Doesn't matter if your black, white, good, evil, gang member, or a plain norm. We are all gods children. We were brought into this world to live and then eventually die. My father was murdered as well not too long ago. Does that mean he was a gang member, just because he was murdered? Of course not. My father was a good man. So was Juan. There's people out there who are heartless, damaged deep within themselves, self destructive, individuals who just don't give a **** about LIFE in need of psychiatric help for real. All I know is that my father had a heart. A tremendous one at that. Juan also had a heart. It is sad to see our loved ones die. All that is left is a memory. A memory of them that never dies! No one will ever take that from us.............

— mizcookie Sept. 6, 2010 at 7:02 p.m.

@ROBDOG Society doesn't have to do anything for gangsters, we don't create the gang community, on the contrary we try to eliminate it (most of the time without violence). Gangsters infest our neighborhoods, all full of ignorant children trying to protect the "varrio".
I have limited sympathy for people who purposefully harm each other or the innocent. Then on top of that you preach about GOD? You make up your own rules of how GOD loves you so in your head it's as easy as going to confession and letting christ into your life. Doesn't that sound like a fantasy to all of you? Yeah as humans forgiveness comes easy but only with regret. If you continue on the path that led you to your idiotic decisions in life then you have no regret. ROBDOG, I chose to be who I am today, some of us have more will then others but at the end of the day no matter how big or how small your balls are you make your own decisions of right and wrong. Everyone is aware of when they're doing something they shouldn't be. I've done my wrongs probably like everyone on this Earth but there are big and small wrongs and believe me they each have their own value in life and I'm sure in death as well. I don't like what happened to Juan but Juan didn't mind so much because he knew the risks. Now he's no longer with us, this one life, this person who was good in the eyes of so many is no longer with us because he risked his life for nothing. He risked his life for the gang life? I hope he has the opportunity to be regretful in death but I think you're all taking a big risk doing whatever the hell you want thinking GOD will give us that opportunity. I don't speak for the Almighty or do I ever intend to make it seem like I do. Those are the thoughts that go through my head before making life changing decisions. This is how I keep myself on check and it's not hard because I don't like to hurt or to be hurt.

— Justice April 13, 2010 at 4:37 p.m.

WELL WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS REST IN PEACE LIL MAN.I HAVE HAD ALOT OF DEAD FREINDS IN MY LIFE AND ALL THE WRITTING I SEE IS A BUNCH OF CRAP ITS NOT THERE PARENTS FAULT, SOMETIME PARENTS WORK 18HR SHIFTS A DAY TO TRY TO GIVE THERE CHILDREN WHAT THEY CAN, AND SOMETIME YOU CANT TEACH THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO LEARN SO THEY GO TO THE STREETS, AND LEAVE GOD OUT OF THIS ITS NOT HIS DOING ITS SINS DOING, GOD GAVE HIM THE FREE WILL TO MAKE HIS CHOICES, AND AS YOU CAN TELL HE DID SO GOD DICIDED TO BRING HIM"HOME" EARLY, AND STOP ALL THIS HE WAS A GANGSTER, HE WAS BAD, HE OWES THE CITY SOMETHING, JUST LET HIM REST IN PEACE. BUT ASK YOUR SELF SOMETHING WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME MOST OF YOU GUYS TRIED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A GANGSTERS LIFE AND NOT CRITICISE THEM. AND IF YOU HAVE A BIBLE LOOK AT LUKE 15 1-7 AND IF YOU DONT JUST GOOGLE IT, AND THINK ABOUT IT. WELL I PRAY FOR HIS FAMILY TO FIND GOD AT THIS HARD MOMENT, MAY GOD BLESS THEM AN EVERYONE THAT POSTED SOMETHING.

— ROBDOG April 6, 2010 at 10:32 a.m.

Kat, I'm not dismissing that this person did wrong, but lack of preventive measurements to avoid his death or to avoid him from commiting further criminal activites weren't there. As a former Boyle Heights resident we always got the short end of the stick. I seen many young men get into gangs simply for protection purposes. It is very easy to blame these young men for making the wrong decisions or easy to blame the parents for not doing their job. However, as you can see in this blog, theres a lot of young men dying for dumb reasons. Instead of us trying to make a different we simply judged and blamed the deceased for their own death. In my point of view it is an easy way not to take responsibilities as human beings. I'm a strong believer of giving people second chances, but many of these young men were never given a second chance. We live in the richest country of the world, but yet we allow this nonsense to take place in our cities. Since these type of criminal activities usually affect the minorities, maybe it is left alone by designed. Since you are a law enforcer representative please don't give up on these young men. Believe me information capture in your data collection system is not 100% accurate. It is a bias system where only the bad information on any person is collected. Is there any good information captured on any person?

— jag April 5, 2010 at 9:18 p.m.

Kat, you said it yourself this is to post memories, good or bad, about the deceased. However, you like the others don't know Juan. You are posting comments of someone you don't know whatsoever! So, who do you think you are to pass judgement? Since you are a law enforcer representative, you should stop judging people and start doing your job and prevent crime. Also, since you know all the facts of the murder of Juan, why don't you catch the people responsible for killing him? I guess you are just to busy blogging and judging people then doing your job. Syscom3 this is where your Tax money goes. To all of you, if you don't know the deceased then you have no business in posting anything. Whether Juan made the wrong decisions or not there are people, real people, believe it or not, that are in a lot of pain because of his passing.

— jag March 22, 2010 at 11:01 a.m.

Jag,
Are you serious? A blog to share memeories of this person? That has got to be the silliest thing that I have ever read on this blog about any body or anything. Besides memories are both good and bad. Since when did it become a negative to talk honestly about someone dead or alive? If this person was kind and giving and loving I guess the person that killed him missed that? From working in law enforcement do you know that 99 percent of killings done by gang memebers are one gang memeber killing another? This man wasn't shot from a distance some innocent caught in the cross fire no not at all this was a walk up killing. The killer knew exactly what or who he was aiming at! The Juan you knew might have been wonderful but the Juan society knew was someone completly different. I often ask parents who come to me all angry the following question...how do you know your child didn't do it? Were you there? No parent can know what thier child will do or does outside of their eyes or ears. Each and every parent can only hope and pray that the morals and everything else hopefully taught at home some how stays with the child has he/she ventures out. With that said...you have no idea what kind of things this man did to others. You have no idea what kind of person he was outside of your sight or hearing. You have no idea how he spoke to people or how he treated people. Was he one type of person around you and another type of person around other? You can't say. So the next time you want to share good memories of this person write them down on paper and post them to his grave marker. This is an open forum for anyone and everyone to use. This is not a blog posted in memory of no one. IF things posted here are too rough for you respectfully don't visit. I doubt that this person was an innocent plucked out from anyone else walking down Soto Street that early in the evening.

PS Syscom3 don't mind your postings at all. I don't always agree but stand by you as your right to post and be heard or read in this case. Good job.

— Kat March 16, 2010 at 10:48 p.m.

Lets not involve god in this. God is my savior , but growing up in the hood truly sucked. Cholos are rats , they all should be put away. The Og's in the hood have respect, the youngsters are the stupid ones committing all the crimes. I love god and im sure god forgives everyone, but i cannot not feel for a person that causes harm to another individual. I could sit here and say how many time i got jacked on my way to RHS. To be honest I feel that our laws should stricter, you kill someone, then you get kill. Once they get to God he can judge them there.
I HATE GANGSTER AND ALL THE CRIMES THEY COMMIT!!!

p.s. Please do not involve god or religious fanaticism, We judge people with the laws that we see as just , I am sure he had candles and crosses in his home but did he love god, I doubt it, or else he wouldn't be harming his fellow man.

p.ss.syscom3 i am with you man, You are being real and just pointing out the harsh realities.

— high school counselor March 15, 2010 at 11:22 p.m.

619, don't call me "homie". I don't know you.

Also, please don't go apologizing to people on my behalf. I alone reserve that right and I see no reason to say I'm sorry for anything.

Mrs. Garvey, thanks for the work you've done in improving the online edition from the Times. I do check on it a couple of times a day to see whats going on in the news.

As for "memories" ...... the subject of this blog is about homicides. In a lot of cases discussed in this blog, there really is nothing good you can say about the deceased. In my criminal justice class, we did discuss the fact that a lot of criminals did have a good side to them, that masked the darker side. It's quite interesting really. Perhaps you want to take a CJ101 class at your local junior college?

As for the deceased conduct that got him murdered? He was a gangster. He inflicted wounds on his neighborhood and society in general. He made choices of his own free will that put him into harms way.

Untill his family apologizes to everyone for what their son did, then there is no sympathy coming from me (and a lot of others).

And yes I am a cynic.

— syscom3 March 13, 2010 at 8:19 a.m.

GANGSTERS ARE MURDERS the Devils KIDS they are cowards shooting people just for the fun of it or cuz they live in the other side of the block. I grew up in the varrio like you cholos called it. and i never i had a need to dress like a cholo or take part of a gang. just to dress like one is enough to look like a walking target so why dress like one. i never did and where i grew up the cholos respected me just for being cool and my self and not a cholo. im on my way to work guess what lil puppet on the corner high and stupid just waiting for the cops or some one to pass by and shoot him like a target. or do u think he was waiting for a ride to go to work yah! right!!!!!!!! what a life to live. cholos get ready cuz we might never end this killing but we will never stop going after you and putting ur cholo ass in jail for good. P.S cholos are stupid!!!!!!!

— tony gomez March 11, 2010 at 8:24 a.m.

as someone who lives within this community. I cannot muster up enough empathy for this young man. He made choices for his life that ended the way it did. We all have the chance to make choices for ourselves that do not get a do over! Is the worl better off because he is no longer here? I don't know the answer to this question and now none of us will ever know the answer. As for my God he does for give but first one has to as for forgivnes...hopefully with his last breath this young man had the opportunity to ask God for forgiveness and he was allowed to enter the gates of the kingdom. As for Reyena...it is this mentality that makes people like me have very little empathy for people in your situation. To take something from someone just because you want to and forcefully can doesn't make it right it just makes it you people and me people. That's no way to live. For either one of us.

— Judy March 9, 2010 at 10:34 p.m.

To all,
I knew Juan very well and can say that he, like so many, was a troubled youth with a big heart. I don't exagerate when I say he could have been anything in life. Unfortunately he was naive and failed to see that life is much much more than a neighborhood. Many will miss him, but none more than his mother who did all she could to save him.

To those watching from a distance, you can sleep better knowing there is one less "gangster" in this world.

To those of us watching from up close, we know that Juan was a beautiful person who will be missed. We know that the world is NOT better off without him.

The problem of violence does not come from one bad choice, but from a series of choices that are made by our society, our families, our friends, and ourselves. Such choices sometimes set the stage for a bad ending to an otherwise promissing life. If you can't see the big picture, then you are in fact part of the problem.

— Juan's Friend March 9, 2010 at 3:11 p.m.

"Share a memory of juan guerrero..."

I may not have known you personally, but i feel it is worth it to note what a unique opportunity this forum presents so that no one- including you- will simply be recorded as a "19 year old Latino male"...

Despite, or perhaps in spite of, the circumstances of your youth & death, i want to express the immense loss your life must be to your family (in every sense of the word) and also to the immediate and larger community that will now miss out on your potential.

I am 19 years old my self and i cannot help but feel moved by how many deaths recorded in the Homicide Report are of similarly young [mostly] men... We need our brothers, friends, and neighbors to have the opportunity to grow & learn, mature & evolve, and contribute to the stability & well being of our communities, families, and individual relationships...

Juan may you rest in peace & may your journey be blessed beyond your brief time amongst us...

— Bella March 9, 2010 at 1:46 a.m.

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