David James Castillo was a 22-year-old Hispanic man whose life ended in a burst of gunfire in East Los Angeles on December 21, 2020. The shooting occurred at approximately 5:35 p.m. in the 5600 block of Via Corona Avenue, near 5639 Via Corona Avenue. Castillo was struck by the gunfire and died at the scene before he could be transported to a hospital.
A second man was also shot during the attack. The surviving victim, who was reported to be 31 at the time, was taken to a hospital for treatment. Although authorities did not publicly release extensive information about his wounds or recovery, the fact that he survived made the shooting both a homicide and an attempted-murder investigation.
Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau took charge of the case. Investigators examined the shooting scene, gathered evidence and worked to determine who had opened fire on Castillo and the other victim.
Early reports did not identify a suspect, establish a publicly known motive or explain what happened immediately before the shots were fired. Authorities initially appealed to witnesses and others with information to assist in identifying the person responsible.
The investigation eventually led authorities to Victor Tomotsu Haak. Haak was arrested and prosecuted in connection with both victims, facing a murder charge for killing Castillo and an attempted-murder charge for shooting the surviving man. His prosecution transformed the case from one that initially appeared unresolved into a court proceeding that held a named defendant responsible for the deadly attack.
Haak was ultimately convicted of murder and attempted murder. The murder conviction established his criminal responsibility for Castillo’s death, while the attempted-murder conviction addressed the violence committed against the second victim. The verdicts brought a formal resolution to the question of who carried out the shooting and confirmed that the surviving man had also been deliberately targeted in the attack.
Following the convictions, Haak was sentenced to 82 years to life in state prison. The lengthy sentence reflected the killing of Castillo, the attempted killing of the other man and the seriousness of the combined offenses. Rather than remaining an unsolved East Los Angeles shooting, the case concluded with a conviction and a sentence that could keep Haak imprisoned for the remainder of his life.
Castillo’s death should not be confused with unrelated cases involving other people who shared the name David Castillo. In this case, the victim was David James Castillo, who was killed on Via Corona Avenue shortly before Christmas in 2020. What began as an evening shooting that left one man dead and another wounded ultimately resulted in Haak’s arrest, prosecution, convictions for murder and attempted murder, and sentence of 82 years to life.
