The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killing of a 20-year-old security guard that took place more than half a decade ago.
Edgar Vasquez was driving his white Toyota Camry in an alleyway behind his home in the 400 block of East 135th Street, located between Avalon Boulevard and San Pedro Street in West Rancho Dominguez, around 11 p.m. on July 6, 2020, when the gunfire erupted, according to L.A. County deputies.
He had just left his home to work an overnight shift as a security guard, LASD said.
“Edgar…came under gunfire. Multiple shots were fired at his vehicle, and he tragically sustained a fatal gunshot wound, dying at the scene,” the sheriff’s department stated.
More than five years have passed since Edgar’s tragic and untimely death, and authorities still have yet to ascertain much information surrounding the incident; however, the motion to establish the reward indicates that the shooting is believed to be gang-related and that Edgar was not the intended target.
Project: Cold Case, an advocacy group for family members and survivors of unsolved homicides, profiled Edgar’s story and interviewed his loved ones; they told the organization that Edgar wasn’t supposed to work that night, but picked up an extra overnight shift at City of Hope Medical Center.
“I remember him telling me about it when they texted him,” Edgar’s mother, Gabriela Moreno, told Project: Cold Case. “He said, ‘You know I’m tired, but I am going to go.’ He was always very responsible when it came to helping Mom.”
Moreno further elaborated that everything about that night was normal – after Edgar got out of the shower and got ready for work, she and her daughter walked him to his car and said goodbye.
Only, it would be the last time they ever did so.
“Just moments later, they heard the gunshots in the alley behind their home,” freelance journalist and Project: Cold Case volunteer Zoe Smolios wrote.
Edgar’s brother Angel, who was sitting on the couch inside, said he and his mother tried to call his brother to make sure Edgar was okay after hearing the gunshots, but they knew something wasn’t right after not getting a response.
“We ran down, and I could hear voices shouting my name,” Gabriela Moreno said. “They were saying, ‘It’s Edgar! It’s Edgar!’ And there he was in his car.”
“The worst part was, I didn’t know how to help him,” Angel told Project: Cold Case. “He was in the car with the doors locked and the windows up. The first thing was to call 911 to help, and then I was just calling his name to get him to stay with me.”
A press conference will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday to formally announce the $10,000 reward for information that can help authorities. In addition to several LASD officials, Edgar’s loved ones will also be in attendance.
The public can watch the press conference live on the department’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
If you have any information surrounding the July 6, 2020, murder of Edgar Vasquez, you are asked to contact LASD’s Homicide Bureau: 323-890-5500.
To provide an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.
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