Rudolfo Roque, 54, of San Diego was shot dead on September 4, 1986, while visiting Los Angeles. He was walking on a street when an assailant approached from behind and fired a .22-caliber bullet into the back of his head. Roque is described as the first victim in a series of killings in the Skid Row area that targeted vulnerable, largely homeless men.

Investigators later concentrated on a young black man after a surviving victim provided a description. Michael Player, who used the alias Marcus Nisby, had prior convictions for theft, armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon and was questioned in Roque’s slaying but released for lack of evidence. On October 10, 1986, a man checking into a hotel as Marcus Nisby died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; fingerprint analysis identified him as Michael Player and linked him to the Skid Row killings. The investigation was closed in February 1987.

Does anyone have memories of Rudolfo Roque or information about that week in September 1986 that could add context to his death?