Xavier Martinez was 16 when he was shot on December 19, 2014, while standing outside an apartment complex in the 12400 block of Washington Place in Mar Vista. The coroner’s records place the shooting shortly before 11:30 a.m. Martinez was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead on December 20, 2014, at 9:20 a.m. Witnesses at the scene were reportedly uncooperative, and police established a perimeter while the gunman escaped.

Ten days after the shooting, 18-year-old Greg Steven Garcia was arrested on suspicion of murder and later charged with one count of murder by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office; his court appearance was scheduled for January 28, 2015. The case narrative emphasizes difficulties obtaining community cooperation during the investigation and frames the killing within concerns about youth gun violence in Los Angeles.

If anyone knew Xavier, saw the December 19 scene, or has information that could help this investigation, please share what you know.