Slain sheriff’s Explorer, friend honored on 5th anniversary of South Whittier double-slaying

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SOUTH WHITTIER >> Five years have passed since the day a sheriff’s Explorer Scout and his friend were gunned down in South Whittier. But more than 100 loved ones and fellow Explorers took to the street Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the double-slaying to make it clear that the victims are not forgotten and the search for the killer will not end until justice is served.
The army of marchers demanding justice for 19-year-old Norwalk sheriff’s Explorer Cesar Rodriguez and 24-year-old Larry Villegas has maintained its annual vigil in the years since the Aug. 28, 2011, drive-by shooting in the 11800 block of Painter Avenue. Each year since the killings, family, friends, colleagues and sheriff’s officials have joined together to march through the streets of south Whittier, stopping to leave flowers and light candles on the parking lot where Rodriguez and Villegas lost their lives.
0826_NWS_WDN-L-MARCHmug-300x225At the end of the march, Sgt. Michael Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, who is handling the investigation, addressed the crowd assembled at Amelia Mayberry Park.
“Don’t lose hope. I have not lost hope,” the sergeant said. “As long as I am in the sheriff’s department, and there is a homicide bureau, we will work this case.”
The lack of answers is the most difficult part of dealing with the loss of Cesar Rodriguez, said his mother, Lupe Rodriguez.
Cesar was friendly and well-liked, she said. “If (the killer) knew him, they would love him, too.”
And although justice would not bring her son back, the mother said it would help her heal a great deal.
“I have to live to see justice,” she said.
Rodriguez and Villegas had just left a friend’s house when a gray Toyota Scion drove up, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Bill Brauberger said at the time. The driver opened fire, mortally wounding booth, before fleeing the scene. The hunt for the killer has continued ever since.
0830_NWS_WDN-L-CESARb - CopyAnd family members have vowed to continue their yearly vigil until the killer is caught.
The key to solving the case likely lies with a witness who has yet to come forward, according to officials and family members. Rodriguez implored anyone with any information on the shooting to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
PHOTOS: [ABOVE] – Sgt. Michael Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Homicide Bureau speaks to marchers at Mayberry Park in South Whittier after a march commemorating the 5th anniversary of the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old sheriff’s Explorer and his 24-year-old friend in South Whittier on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. [CENTER] – Cesar Rodriguez, 19, of Whittier. (courtesy) [BELOW] – A T-shirt worn by a marcher seeking information regarding the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Los Angeles County sheriff’s Explorer Cesar Rodriguez and 24-year-old Larry Villegas during a march to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the double-slaying on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016.
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