Officer II Mario Navidad Jr., 27, was killed on December 22, 1996, in Los Angeles while on patrol in the Wilshire Division. He and his partner, Ralph Mendoza, had been flagged down by a convenience store clerk reporting a theft. Officers located the suspect, identified as Aleim Ulloa Ortiz, in an alley. Ortiz pulled a gun and opened fire on the patrol car; Navidad was struck multiple times when rounds passed through the unprotected side of his bulletproof vest and later died of his wounds. Mendoza returned fire and fatally wounded Ortiz, who was described as a 17-year-old gang member carrying beer at the time of the confrontation.

Navidad had been with the Los Angeles Police Department for less than two years and was remembered at a funeral attended by hundreds. The investigation concluded with no further arrests, as the assailant was killed in the exchange of gunfire. Does anyone have memories of Officer Navidad or information about the Wilshire Division incident that could add context to this case?