Oscar Gonzalez, 35, was shot and killed on April 10, 2024, at about 2:00 a.m. while driving westbound on the 4700 block of Florence Avenue in Bell, California. His vehicle struck a pole at Vinevale Avenue and caught fire; officers found bullet holes in the car and Gonzalez suffering a gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau assisted the Bell Police Department. Later that day 20-year-old Edward Paul Patino of Whittier was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, held in lieu of $2 million bail. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Family and friends remember Gonzalez as a dedicated individual, and residents have voiced shock and concern about violence in the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Did anyone in the community see or hear anything that night?