Reward offered in Wilmington killing
I'll have this in the print edition tomorrow:
City News Service was at Los Angeles City Hall today and filed this report:
The Los Angeles City Council today approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to whoever killed a Wilmington man over Fourth of July weekend last
year.
Antonio Ortega Jr., 29, was sitting in a car July 6 in front of his mother-in-law's house when a
man walked up and shot him in the chest without provocation about 8:30 a.m., according to
police. Ortega died before reaching a hospital.
City News Service was at Los Angeles City Hall today and filed this report:
The Los Angeles City Council today approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to whoever killed a Wilmington man over Fourth of July weekend last
year.
Antonio Ortega Jr., 29, was sitting in a car July 6 in front of his mother-in-law's house when a
man walked up and shot him in the chest without provocation about 8:30 a.m., according to
police. Ortega died before reaching a hospital.
His widow, Yesenia Ortega, tearfully addressed the City Council.
"It is very important for us to have closure. It won't bring him back, but I plead for this help. I
know there are people out there who know (what happened) but are afraid to speak. Maybe
this will be an incentive for them," she said.
"I beg you to approve this, so we can put a face to this demon that came into our lives."
Manny Ortega suspects gang members in his brother's killing. He insisted that his brother, a
truck driver, was never involved in gangs.
In her motion for the reward, Harbor-area Councilwoman Janice Hahn wrote
that the reward was needed, because the killer is an ongoing threat.
"The Ortega family deserves the closure of finding out who did this and making sure that this
killer or killers are locked up, so they never have the chance to take another precious life
again," Hahn wrote.
"It is very important for us to have closure. It won't bring him back, but I plead for this help. I
know there are people out there who know (what happened) but are afraid to speak. Maybe
this will be an incentive for them," she said.
"I beg you to approve this, so we can put a face to this demon that came into our lives."
Manny Ortega suspects gang members in his brother's killing. He insisted that his brother, a
truck driver, was never involved in gangs.
In her motion for the reward, Harbor-area Councilwoman Janice Hahn wrote
that the reward was needed, because the killer is an ongoing threat.
"The Ortega family deserves the closure of finding out who did this and making sure that this
killer or killers are locked up, so they never have the chance to take another precious life
again," Hahn wrote.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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