Carson homicide victim was 'a lovable kid'
I received a few calls today from family members of Angel Popoca, the 21-year-old man killed while attending a party in the 21300 block of Archibald Avenue in Carson early Saturday.
Sheriff's deputies said a dark-colored vehicle rolled by and someone inside opened fire. Popoca was hit and another man was wounded.
I was unable today to get in touch with a sheriff's lieutenant who was at the scene to ask some questions about what the family members told me about what occurred there.
Family members took exception to a line in the short article on page A7 in Tuesday's print edition which said that Popoca had been arrested on suspicion of vandalism at Torrance Park on Aug. 6.
Carlos Popoca, Angel's uncle, said the arrest had nothing to do with his nephew's death and should not have been reported. He said it made it appear as if the victim of the homicide was a criminal.
The uncle wanted everyone to know his nephew was not a gang member and that the tagging arrest had not gone to court.
Carlos Popoca said his nephew was an innocent victim at the party.
"I raised him," the uncle said. "He was a lovable kid. He loved everybody and everybody loved him."
The uncle said a woman at the party called gang members to attack a man there that she didn't like.
When the gunman showed up and fired the gun, Popoca was hit and killed.
Carlos Popoca said he arrived moments later to pick up his nephew from the party. He cradled the 21-year-old in his arms and drove him to the hospital.
Family members are devastated by the deathof the former Narbonne High School student.
"He was very lovable," the uncle said. "He was a victim of circumstance."
Sheriff's deputies said a dark-colored vehicle rolled by and someone inside opened fire. Popoca was hit and another man was wounded.
I was unable today to get in touch with a sheriff's lieutenant who was at the scene to ask some questions about what the family members told me about what occurred there.
Family members took exception to a line in the short article on page A7 in Tuesday's print edition which said that Popoca had been arrested on suspicion of vandalism at Torrance Park on Aug. 6.
Carlos Popoca, Angel's uncle, said the arrest had nothing to do with his nephew's death and should not have been reported. He said it made it appear as if the victim of the homicide was a criminal.
The uncle wanted everyone to know his nephew was not a gang member and that the tagging arrest had not gone to court.
Carlos Popoca said his nephew was an innocent victim at the party.
"I raised him," the uncle said. "He was a lovable kid. He loved everybody and everybody loved him."
The uncle said a woman at the party called gang members to attack a man there that she didn't like.
When the gunman showed up and fired the gun, Popoca was hit and killed.
Carlos Popoca said he arrived moments later to pick up his nephew from the party. He cradled the 21-year-old in his arms and drove him to the hospital.
Family members are devastated by the deathof the former Narbonne High School student.
"He was very lovable," the uncle said. "He was a victim of circumstance."
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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.
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He was at that party but it doesn't mean that he was involved. He just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.Why would he even think about getting into problems when his little sister was with him. I just wish it didn't happen to him he was a good friend and he will never be forgotten.
I was interested to see how the tagging arrest played out in court... musta been a case of mistaken identity. guess we will never know.
moral of the story: don't go to parties with gang members or girlfriends of gang members. And don't get arrested tagging, cause you might get shot at a party 2 weeks later.
angel was i very good person and he was also a good friend. we all love him and miss him. i wish this didnt happen 2 him. he is in a better place now. R.I.P ANGEL. you will be forever in our hearts...
It seems that family and friends always defend the suspect as "a victim of mistaken identity," "an angel who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," or "a sweet, sweet person who was wronged by the law enforement."
Is it denial, ignorance, or a golden opportunity to sweep everything under the rug?
Angel grew up with 2 of my children and they are devastated by this brutal murder of an innocent person. I loved Angel. He was always welcome at my house because he was polite and curtious to all of us. He made the kids laugh all the time. Thats all I've been hearing the past few days are the stories of how he made them laugh. I will definitly miss him riding his skateboard or bicycle by the house and smiling as he went by. RIP ANGEL you deserve it!
Angel was a loveable kid! My daughter has known him since first grade. They hung out together in middle school. Every where we drive she has a memory of him. She is so sad that he is gone. From what we've been told, Angel was trying to stop a fight...being a good guy got him killed. Rest in Peace Angel! You will be loved and remembered always!
HE NEVER did ANyTHiNG TO NOBOdy ANd FOR HiS PRECiOUS SHORT LiFE TO ENd LikE THiS WAS WRONG..ANd HE WASNT A TAGGER HE WAS AN ARTiST...HE LOVEd TO HAVE FUNN ANd NEVER diSLikEd ANyONE...HE HAPPEN TO BE AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TiME...
HE SET EXAMPLES TO ALL OF US HES iN A BETTER PLACE NOW...ABOVE THE CLOUdS
ANGEL WAS ONE OF THE BEST! WE ARE GOING TO MISS HIM VERY MUCH. WE LOVE YOU ANGEL!
My nephew ANGEL was an ANGEL, he was a good person to all he encountered- Listen STEVE and all you other people who obviously do not have any knowledge and are merely speaking for the sake of speaking, ANGEL did not deserve to die. He was murdered! People like you are in denial of life. You are in denial of criminal activities that go on daily. I cannot comprehend how you could even comment on such a tragedy when you know NOTHING of the situation. There is no sweeping of the rug going on here. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy... only GOD knows why and you are a fool to state otherwise!!!!! I will pray for you not to go to hell for judging others...
I LOVE YOU ANGEL REST IN PEACE.
My nephew ANGEL Was a Good person. He never did anything to disrespect me. I only pray for you STEVE that you do not go to hell and suffer for judging others. You have no idea or knowledge of what happened. You do not know him, and it's too bad because he would of influenced you not to be so judgemental. I wish i could type what is on my mind, but i have too much respect for Angel's mother.
Angel Popoca was an artist. His curiosity for art may have caused an issue, but he was certainly no gang member. It is devastating that this situation occured. Our hearts are broken. I wish people like Steve would just stop...is your life really that great Steve? Inquiring minds want to know
I lived with the family of Angel Popoca when he and his brother Jesse were infants. They are dear to my heart. Angel was always at the house of one family member or another and always had respect and love for his family and friends. He never complained when times were hard. He made sure those around him were happy and safe. That night he was with his sister Emily and his cousin Sammy. They were only outside because they were leaving the party awaiting a ride from Uncle Carlos. I feel he was their Angel and he saved them! He will be so missed!I love you babe
Angel we love you and miss you. Your smile was amazing. Rest in Peace. Auntie M
Angel Was not a bad person he was good he was no criminal he did not deserve to die. You don't know him so don't judge him, he was the nicest person you could ever meet.Always happy and never let noone be sad.We will always remember angel as a good person RIP ANGEL we love you and miss you.GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN.!
Angel was an amazing kid. I know he was already 21, however, he was just a kid to me. He was so innocent, caring, loveable, curtious, respectful, funny, and admirable. If you were to see just how artistic he was you would be amazed. We are devastated, and no words can be said to begin to console the family & dear freinds of Angel. There were more than 200 people who showed their appreciation of freindship with Angel at the hospital that fatal night. He was one of the good ones, and now in an instant...he's gone. We all have to appreciate who we have and put an end to all of this violence. It's not worth it. Not only are our lives ruined with an empty void which can never be replaced, but the lives of the family of those criminals who acted so callous.
I pray to God to stop the pain this has caused.
And in regards to comments made by Steve, you don't know him nor what happened that night. Your words are insensitive and rude. You must not live in a glass house for you to throw your stones. Compassion is the highest form of intelligence, until you have this you can't begin to understand. Educate yourself. No one deserves to die this way. And if you have any descency you would retract your awful statement.
I love you Angel. Forever in our Hearts...
I apologize for twisting the knife into the wound during this time of mourning. It was heartless on my behalf, considering that each of you deserve a moment of peace to reflect on the life of someone who was dear to you.
Words can hurt as much as heal... I hope to invoke the latter, since I can't erase the former.
My condolences to those who knew and loved him.
Angel was such a fun loving friend... more than just a friend, he was my family.. i can remember the first day i met him bak in middle skool..he was always so out going and happy. the life of the party...things will never be the same..."now your gone, i realize my love for you was strong and i miss you here now your gone..is this the way its ment to be only dreamin that your missing me,im waiting here at home, i'll be crazy now your gone. there's an empty plcae in my heart, it wont heal it never fades away, i will think about everyday....." RIP Angel....we love you and miss you.
rest in peace angel.. i met angel about a year ago at my cousins house.. i was pretty upset that day and when he walked in and asked me what was wrong i had told him nothing.. his words were *girl just enjoy life, you only live it once, all the drama will be gone soon* and he started dancing.. he made me laugh so hard that day.. then when i found out he was friends with a couple of my friends and started seeing him around he always asked me how am i doing? we started talking more n became friends.. i cant say the best but we talked every once in a while, hung out couple times. i can still picture him riding his skateboard with his long yellow mohawk.. lol.. i was upset when i found out what happen because the night before we were just talking about hanging out that sunday.. well ill miss you angel.. see you later
I watched Angel grow up and skateboard or ride his bike with my brother and the other boys in the neighborhood! I live very near the family I too am going to miss seeing his handsome face ride his skateboard or bike past my house. In the ole' days when a girl was rapped it was said that she must of been asking for it and nowadays when someone is shot/murdered they right away assume that he must of been up to no good...it is a shame that this is the society that we live in!!! When are we going to start standing up to these gangbangers!! I'm sick of the lack of morales and no value for life! I'm sure someone knows who is responsible! But will take care of it themselves!! Great job security for the police and prisons huh!! We raise our kids to be kind and pray they don't fall victim as Angel did!! He was a good person and did not deserve this!!! RIP Angel...
This girl should be arrested and charged this is the only was this nonsense will stop!! She called gangbangers to take care of a guy she didn't like!! And innocent Angel was taken. He wasn't out front "hanging out" his Uncle was on h is way!!! But that doesn't make good news so we won't report that!!! It's all too sensless and unless we demand justice it will continue!!! this "girl" that made the phone call is as guilty as if she pulled the trigger herself!!!
Someone needs to pay for taking Angel's life away.
I will pray everyday for the kids responsible for this to be caught and punished which ever way needed.
They took away a very special young man who will be missed by many.
WE LOVE YOU ANGEL POPOCA....
I miss u. Who ever did this to u Angel needs to be punished. You shouldnt of had to die like this.
R.I.P. ANGEL POPOCA YOU WILL BE MISSED IT WAS GOOD SEEING YOU TODAY BEFORE YOU GOT LAYED TO REST YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED!
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Carson: Angel Popoca, 21
August 25, 2009 | 10:16 pm
The location of Angel Popoca's shooting. Angel Popoca, a 21-year-old Latino, was shot in the head in the 21300 block of South Archibald Avenue in Carson on Saturday, August 22 and died the following day, according to Los Angeles County coroner's officials.
Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said Popoca was at a party when there was an argument outside. The argument led to gunfire, and Popoca was hit, Winter said.
The shooting happened at about 1 p.m. Saturday. Popoca was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Sunday morning, Winter said.
-- Anthony Pesce
More in: Carson, Shooting
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I am a security officer at Shery High School in the Torrance Unified School District. Ive been working with teens for almost 30 years through Scouts, Sports, YMCA, and various other youth programs. Angel was a clean cut well mannered young man. Very respectful, kind, and sort of quiet. He attended Shery for about a year and a half before going back to Narbonne. He never got into any trouble or caused any problems. He was well liked by the Shery High Staff. If I was able to fault him of anything it would be him being lazy, but he was just a laid back young man. It is easy to read an article and try to judge someone, if you don't know him you shouldnt judge. This was a true case of being "Wrong Place-Wrong Time", and it is unfortunate that he came to a tragic end. God Bless his family, my condolences to all and ANGEL R.I.P.!
For those of u who don't know the person or the facts of the case please just stay quiet, out of respect to Angels family, friends, and most importantly Angel himself. Angel Popoca is hands down one of the funniest people I will ever meet. That's the one thing that stands out to me when I think of angel, he was just a funny dude. Even though I hadn't spoken to him in a few years, it hurt when I found out he died. So to all his family and close friends I say, do not let the fun loving spirit of Popoca (that's what I called him) die. He will be missed. R.I.P Popoca
P.S
it's because of u angel that I started doing the liberty spikes to my hair in middle school! Again... R.I.P Popoca!
angel will be missed forever, not a day that anyone goes without thinking about him. i remember the day you let me ride your long board and almost fell.there are no goodbyes here, but simply ill see you later angel
First off I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Angel. It is apparent to me in both the postings here and the event I recently experienced that he was a very special man. Before Tuesday, two weeks ago, I had no knowledge of this incident. I was driving home from work from Victorville to Lake Arrowhead via Hwy 138. I was passing Silverwood Lake which had been closed for the past two days due to budget restrictions. As I drove by my favorite view of the lake, a dog ran out in front of my Jeep. In the dusk it appeared to be a black lab and looked similar to my dog Sonja. I immediately turned around and followed the dog into a turnout. I called him over and he ran to my window and just looked up with his tail wagging. It was a pit bull. He seemed friendly so I opened my passenger door and he hopped in. He crawled into my lap (he is NOT a small dog!) and smothered my face with doggie kisses. I knew I couldn’t leave him; Silverwood Lake is a recreation area in the middle of nowhere.
I took him home and gave him food and water. He must have drunk 2 bowls of water in mere seconds. Poor thing was so thirsty. He was covered with hundreds of fleas and had terrible diarrhea. I posted on our local websites in the lost dog threads and contacted local Bull Terrier rescues. He had no collar or tags. After a little over a week of seeing what a fantastic, loving, well behaved dog he was we decided to see if he was chipped. I could never believe a dog like this would be dumped. He must have somehow strayed. We took him to the animal hospital and found out not only was he chipped but the information was recently updated. Not something a person who wanted to dump a dog would do. My husband left a voicemail message and we were so excited when Angel’s mother called us right back! She explained the dog was her son’s and he had recently died. We could tell it had been fairly recent as she was very broken up about it. My husband Greg respectfully didn’t ask what had happened. She said her nephew Carlos wanted the dog. A couple hours later Greg returned a voicemail by Carlos who was very happy we had found “Boxer” and we are currently making arrangements to get him home! I don’t know how Boxer got all the way the Silverwood Lake, however, I do know that somehow Angel made sure his dog crossed my path. There are not many who would stop to pick up a stray, especially a pit bull. I feel honored I was able to return Angel’s dog to his rightful place with his family. My husband and I will miss Boxer, he is such a sweet and lovable dog. I am just glad he is going home, as I’m sure Angel would have wanted.
Thank you so much for stopping! god bless you! Angel was watching, as he is still, over his family and now you for saving his best friend, BOXER!
Boxer has brought joy to our family. He was the puppy to My parents Pitbull "China", who also passed this year a short time before Angel. Boxer was one of the 2 out of 8 puppies to survive birth.
Angel is my cousin and from him and the entire POPOCA family I want to THANK YOU for returning a little peiceof him to us.
Boxer is back where he started as a puppy, at my parent's home. He is happy and doing well!
THANK YOU!
Angel will always and forever be in our hearts! I love you cousin!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!!