Jaime Garcia Jr., 29, and his 17-year-old brother Ivan Garcia were shot and killed in the parking lot of Rick’s Motel on Firestone Boulevard in Downey on June 30, 2018. The brothers had driven to the motel that morning and got into an argument with a motel guest, Raymond Joseph Penland; both brothers were pronounced dead at the scene around 11:25 a.m. Investigators say neither Jaime nor Ivan was armed when they were shot.

Raymond Joseph Penland fled but was arrested that evening by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s SWAT team at a warehouse in Santa Fe Springs; he surrendered without resistance. A handgun recovered in the motel parking lot is believed to have belonged to Penland. Penland was charged on July 3, 2018 with two counts of murder and an unlawful death by use of a firearm count, pleaded not guilty, and was held on $2 million bail with trial set to begin July 17, 2018. Two women who had been staying with Penland at the motel, Catarina Frances Barajas and Vanessa Teresa Cardenas, were present during the shooting, were initially listed as persons of interest, and were released after questioning.

The motive for the confrontation and shooting has not been determined. Does anyone with information about the events at Rick’s Motel that morning or who knew the Garcia brothers and those involved have tips to share?