Crime Solvers Central
Crime Solvers Central
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Michael Hendrix Planells, a 29-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed on August 24, 2014, in the parking lot of 13109 Borden Avenue in Sylmar, California. Investigators say Planells was searching for cans to recycle near the Sylmar Recreation Center when he was fatally shot at about 6:35 a.m.; he died at the scene.

Authorities tied Planells’ killing to a series of seemingly random attacks in the Pacoima–San Fernando area that morning. Investigators believe he was one of three people killed within an hour; Mariana Franco, 23, was shot around 5:50 a.m. while riding in a car with her family, and Gloria Tovar, 59, was shot about 6:45 a.m. while sitting in her car. Those incidents were part of a broader string of shootings that terrorized the San Fernando Valley between March and August 2014.

Planells’ autopsy was placed under a security hold, so few forensic details have been released. Does anyone have information about Planells’ routine or who might have seen unusual activity near the Sylmar Recreation Center that morning?