Hector Valdez, an 18-year-old Latino, was shot and killed on February 25, 2014, in Pacoima, Los Angeles. The coroner’s records place the shooting near Remick Avenue and Hoyt Street at about 7:45 p.m. Valdez and a friend were walking in a residential area when they passed a group of males and one person produced a gun and fired. Valdez tried to flee but collapsed a short distance away; a passerby drove him and his uninjured friend to the hospital, where Valdez was pronounced dead at 8 p.m.

The LAPD Foothill Division opened an investigation. Detective Anthony Stephenson said detectives were seeking witnesses and following up leads, but investigators were hindered by a lack of immediate eyewitnesses willing to come forward.

Did anyone in Pacoima see Hector or his friend that evening or know anything about the group they passed?