Robert Ornelas Gonzales, a 41-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed on the evening of December 4, 2010, in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. The shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Murchison Street, with Los Angeles County records identifying the location as 1592 Murchison Street. At about 7 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officers assigned to the Hollenbeck Area were dispatched after receiving a radio call concerning a possible armed suspect or suspects
in the area.
When officers arrived, they found Gonzales suffering from gunshot wounds. The shooting was described as a walk-up attack, indicating that the assailant approached him rather than firing from a passing vehicle. Coroner information later showed that Gonzales had been struck in both the back and chest. Emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries were fatal. He died approximately 35 minutes after the shooting.
Gonzales had been born in Los Angeles on August 30, 1969, and was living in La Habra at the time of his death. He had worked as a plumber for approximately 14 years and was remembered as someone devoted to supporting his family. He left behind his wife, Melissa, five children—Audrey, Robert, Isaac, Jacob and Jeremiah—and a granddaughter, Samantha, along with his mother, brothers, sisters and other relatives.
Detectives with the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division took over the investigation. In the days following the killing, investigators said they had very little information to work with. Police had no description or identity for the person responsible, and although the original call referred to a possible armed suspect or suspects, authorities did not publicly establish how many people may have been involved. Investigators also had not determined why Gonzales was targeted.
By December 21, police were still reporting few leads and no information identifying a suspect. Detectives Jenks and Zorilla sought assistance from anyone who might have witnessed the shooting or possessed information about what happened at the apartment complex. The motive remained unknown, leaving investigators without a publicly disclosed explanation for why Gonzales was approached and shot.
Available public reporting located for the case does not document the identification or arrest of a suspect in Gonzales's killing, nor does it describe any criminal charges, trial or conviction connected to his death. The publicly reported investigation therefore remained unresolved, with the identity of the person who shot Gonzales and the circumstances that led to the attack still undetermined.
