Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
freak

Man is shot dead in front of his 15 year old son while answering Craigslist ad

Recommended Posts

Man is shot dead in front of his 15 year old son while answering Craigslist ad for a phone - ending LA's record 10 day stretch without a murder

 

 

PUBLISHED: 23:42 EST, 20 October 2013 | UPDATED: 01:03 EST, 21 October 2013

 

A man was shot to death in front of his 15-year-old son in Los Angeles Saturday after they responded to a Craigslist for a cell phone.

Police say Rene Balbuena was killed by three shots to the torso and his son was grazed by one of the bullets.

Two men are accused in the crime, news of which came just hours after LAPD boasted of the city's 10-day murder-free streak.

article-0-18DFF42600000578-801_634x425.j

Murdered: Rene Balbuena was shot repeatedly in the torso by men two men in an apparent robbery attempt Saturday as his 15-year-old son watched in horror

The stretch was the longest in three years that LA has gone without such a crime.

'Homicides do happen,' LAPD spokesman Cleon Joseph said. 'We’re happy we had a streak of this nature.'

Los Angeles police Sergeant Rudy Alaniz told NBC4 that the two men approached Balbuena and his son in their Mercedes SUV as they waited to buy a phone.

The men then opened fire in what police say was an apparent robbery attempt.

article-0-18DFF43000000578-471_634x412.j

'He's in a good place with God right now,' the husband and father of two's sobbing sister Ana Guerrero told reporters what a good person her brother was

Neighbors reported hearing hearing the gunshots and then the screams of Balbuena's son.

Balbuena, a married father of two, was pronounced dead at a hospital where his son was treated for a graze wound.

The suspects remain at large. Police had no description of the men or their getaway vehicle, reports KABC.

'He was a good person, really, really good person, and I know he's in a good place with God right now,' the victim's sister Ana Guerrero told reporters. 'But it's hurting. It hurts a lot.'

The last murder in Los Angeles occurred on October 8, when a 27-year-old man was shot to death at a stoplight after he dropped his mother off at a bus stop.

Despite the most recent killing and the end to the streak, LAPD says says homicides are down 9 percent this year.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×