Help Needed To Find Gunman Whose Shot Killed Diego Ortega-Reza In East LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Investigators and a heartbroken family asked for the public's help this week in finding the killer who took the life of an 18-year-old man who was hit by shots fired at the van he was a passenger in as it drove in East Los Angeles.
Diego Ortega-Reza was on his way home from a Fourth of July party with his younger brother and a friend at about 12:45 p.m. on July 5. As the van drove westbound on Cesar Chavez Avenue and approached Lorena Street, gunshots were fired at them.
Ortega-Reza, who was in the front passenger seat, was suffered a gunshot wound to the heat. The driver immediately drove to a nearby hospital, and from there Ortega-Reza was transferred to a trauma center, where he died on July 10.
"He was a very quiet and enthusiastic kid. He had just graduated high school. He wanted to do so much in life, but that was cut short," his brother, Ulyses Ortega, said.
Supervisor Hilda Solis has sponsored a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Ortega-Reza's murder. Anyone with information about the shooting can contact Los Angeles County sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.