Andrew Gregory Bender III, 19, of Bellflower, California, was shot on January 27, 2016, while walking from a liquor store to a nearby house with a friend. A gunman approached from behind and opened fire; Bender was struck and his friend escaped. The shooter fled in a vehicle. Bender was taken to a local hospital and died of his wounds on February 9, 2016.

Investigators concluded Bender was targeted because of an affiliation with the Neighborhood Compton Crips. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the shooter as 36-year-old Anthony King, associated with the rival Atlantic Drive Crips. King was charged with murder, with enhancements alleging use of a firearm and that the act benefited a gang; he pleaded not guilty.

Bender had played football at Long Beach Poly High School, worked as a security guard, and was preparing for the birth of his child. His mother, Tiffany Moore, said he had been trying to distance himself from gang life. Does anyone who knew Andrew or who was in the area that night have information that could help explain what happened?