Joey Holtz, 33, a bar manager and executive chef at Myst Lounge in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, was shot in the chest and killed on August 13, 2018. The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. near 5th Avenue and Market Street after Holtz and a companion got into a confrontation with another group. Witnesses said Holtz swung a folding sign at the group, and one of the men then opened fire. Bystanders and medics tried to help, but Holtz was pronounced dead at the scene about 20 minutes after the shooting.

San Diego police located two men who had left the scene in a taxi less than a mile away; 23-year-old Jonathan Hernandez was arrested and initially booked on a first-degree murder charge. After homicide detectives consulted with the District Attorney’s Office, charges were not filed and Hernandez was released while the investigation remained open. Friends and family held a vigil at Embarcadero Marina Park, remembering Holtz as a loving father to his young son Levi and a kind-hearted colleague.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information about the events near 5th Avenue and Market Street that night is asked to contact investigators.