Church Parishioner's Widow Makes Emotional Plea To Find Killer
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The widow of a downtown Los Angeles church deacon who was fatally shot while attempting to stop a graffiti vandal asked the public for help in hunting down her husband's killer.
KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports Anna Mendez was joined by City Councilman Eric Garcetti and LAPD officials at a news conference asking witnesses to come forward with any information on who may have killed Andres Ordonez.
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Ordonez, 25, a cook and father of a 1-year-old boy, was killed Sunday evening during a service at Iglesia Principe de Paz in the Rampart district west of downtown.
He was gunned down while coming to the aid of a fellow parishioner who interrupted two taggers who were spraying graffiti on their church. One of them opened fire, killing Ordonez while wounding one other person.
A $50,000 reward has been offered by the City Council for any information leading to an arrest in the case.
Mendez pleaded for anyone who may have information about the shooting to contact police.
"Anybody, please speak out, do not be afraid, we ask God for our safety and your safety, you have nothing to worry about," said Mendez. "The Lord is there for us too."
Investigators say the taggers were gang members looking to leave their mark in a rival gang's territory.
The suspect is described as a 5'6 Hispanic man in his mid-20s, with a muscular build, short hair, and was last seen driving a red four-door vehicle.
