Two gang members have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old Los Angeles boy who was sitting inside a vehicle last year.
Damian Ulysses Martinez, 21, and Gabriel Martinez, 19, cousins, were arrested on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department said Friday that David Martinez was arrested at his home in the city’s Wilmington neighborhood, and Gabriel Martinez was arrested following a traffic stop.
In connection with Alexander Alvarado’s death, the Los Angeles Police Department has filed murder, attempted murder, and assault with deadly weapon charges with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting occurred amid a series of gunfire incidents in the Wilmington area.
The death of Alvarado occurred on Dec. 6, 2021, as he was sitting in a Dodge Durango with 30-year-old Evelyn Romero, his stepmother when two suspects approached the SUV and opened fire, authorities said.
A 9-year-old girl was also struck by a stray bullet as she was playing at nearby Wilmington Park Elementary school while waiting to be picked up, police said.
Alvarado was taken to a hospital where he later died. Romero was hit but survived her injuries, police said.
The motive for the shooting has yet to be determined by investigators. Authorities stated that getting members of the community to cooperate with them was difficult because the suspects were gang members, but that they received numerous tips following the shooting.
source:nsemwokrom.com
