Hector Valey was 24 when he was shot and killed on February 23, 2019, near West 14th and Oak streets in Los Angeles’ Pico-Union neighborhood. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled the cause of death gunshot wounds. Officers responding to a reported shooting at a homeless encampment found Valey dead and another person, identified as G.P., with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Investigators recovered six nine-millimeter cartridge casings at the scene.

A nearby resident, K.M., told police she saw a white Ford Expedition stop in the street with its lights on, the driver enter a tent and fire several shots, then return to the SUV and leave. K.M. identified the driver as Gerardo Gaona. Gaona was arrested, charged, and later found guilty at trial of Valey’s murder and the attempted murder of G.P.; testimony and forensic evidence, including the casings and surveillance footage, were presented at trial.

Anyone who knew Hector, G.P., Gerardo Gaona, or who witnessed the events around West 14th and Oak on February 23, 2019, is asked to share information that could add clarity to what happened that night?