Joseph Michael Lopez was 28 when he was shot and killed in San Bernardino on December 19, 2010. A repossession agent and owner of J’s Towing and Smooth Refinishing, Lopez was reported to have been shot multiple times during a confrontation that investigators tied to his work repossessing a vehicle rather than a random act.

He is survived by children Joseph Jr. and Julianna, their mother Marcy Gonzalez, his fiancée Vanessa Guzman and their infant son Jay, and siblings Casandra, Georgiana, and Shawn. Authorities identified multiple suspects, and the primary suspect was arrested and charged with first-degree murder; that defendant was later convicted at trial and given a lengthy prison sentence. Appeals followed and the original verdict was upheld.

What can readers who knew Joseph or who recall the circumstances around the repossession tell the discussion?