Fourteen-year-old Steve Matthew Velez was fatally shot on January 28, 2024, at about 5:30 p.m. near Pecan Park in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. LAPD officers responding to reports of gunfire found Velez with multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of First and Pecan streets, adjacent to the Hollywood (101) Freeway; paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Velez was a student at Montebello High School.

Family members said he had recently become involved with a gang, a detail authorities believe may be related to the killing. LAPD investigators reported two male suspects fled in a vehicle immediately after the shooting; the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert and the First Street on-ramp to southbound 101 was closed for several hours during the initial investigation. No arrests have been made and the suspects remain unidentified. Any readers who have information that could help the investigation are asked to contact the LAPD.