Alvaro Mata was a 30-year-old taco vendor from Bell Gardens who was shot and killed on June 19, 2015 while working late at his stand near 51st Street and McKinley Avenue in South Los Angeles. The attack happened two days before Father’s Day and left a grieving family seeking funds to repatriate his body to Mexico for burial.

The Los Angeles Police Department investigated, using surveillance footage and witness interviews; officers arrested three men about five blocks from the scene, finding them armed and in the same vehicle seen that night. Police described the suspects as gang members who were targeting undocumented immigrants who work as vendors. The case remained under active investigation as police continued to gather evidence and build charges.

Did anyone in the area know Mata or see activity around 51st and McKinley that night?