Ruben Alcantara Jr, an 18-year-old Latino, was fatally shot on July 5, 2018, in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. while a group, including Alcantara, was gathered outside a home in the 1600 block of West 2nd Street celebrating the Fourth of July. Multiple assailants approached and opened fire; six people were shot that night.

Alcantara was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 2:02 a.m.; the coroner listed gunshot wounds as the cause of death. Two other young victims, 19-year-old Junior Salinas and 18-year-old Abril Onofre, who was five months pregnant, were pronounced dead at the scene. The LAPD opened a homicide investigation and indicated a suspected gang connection but did not disclose specifics. Detectives have asked for more witnesses to come forward; no arrests or publicly identified suspects have been reported.

If anyone was at that gathering or has information about the shooting, please contact the investigators or provide an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.