Ishmael Joseph Escalante was 24 and a resident of Dos Palos, California, when he was shot and killed on December 7, 2014, in Merced. He had been working as a bouncer at La Hacienda Bar that night. Witnesses said an unknown assailant fired on him outside the bar; after being shot Ishmael went back inside and collapsed near the pool table while the gunman continued to fire from the doorway and then fled.

Family and friends remembered him as a gentle giant who loved football, MMA, and dancing and was planning to enroll in criminology classes at Merced College with hopes of a career in law enforcement. Detectives have received tips over the years but no arrest has been announced and the case remains open. His family has held vigils, distributed flyers and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Does anyone who was in Merced or at La Hacienda on December 7, 2014, have information that could help the investigation?