Chris Michael Castellanos, a 17-year-old Latino male, was fatally shot on January 3, 2006, at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Boyle Avenue in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County coroner’s records list the death as a gunshot fatality. The neighborhood’s history of gang activity led investigators to treat the killing as likely gang-related, though the exact circumstances at the scene were not immediately clear.

The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation but struggled to develop the case. A key obstacle was a lack of witnesses willing to come forward because of fear of retaliation, which hindered efforts to gather enough evidence to identify and charge perpetrators. In the years after the shooting there were no significant public updates on the investigation. Anyone with information about Chris, his movements that day, or the shooting is asked to come forward.