Juan Carlos Villapudua was 27 when he was shot and killed in San Bernardino on July 9, 2014. The shooting happened late at night in the 2800 block of Rialto Avenue after Villapudua reportedly made contact with someone in a newer-model white car, possibly a Nissan. Shots came from inside the vehicle and struck him in the upper torso; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses said some people took Villapudua’s wallet and other belongings before police arrived; those items were later recovered by law enforcement. Authorities noted Villapudua had a history tied to drug-related activity and treated the killing as possibly gang-related, while family members said he had been cashing a winning lottery ticket and may have been targeted at random. The homicide was one of several shootings in San Bernardino during a five-day span that contributed to a local spike in violence.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Bernardino Police Department.