Jose Tellez, 21, a Hispanic male from Cerritos, was one of two people struck down just after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 31, 2025, when gunfire erupted in the south parking area of Don Knabe Community Regional Park, in the 19700 block of Bloomfield Avenue. Witnesses reported hearing a rapid volley—roughly twenty to twenty-five shots—and then cars screeching away from the lot.
Deputies arriving at the scene found evidence of a parking-lot attack, and soon learned two gunshot victims had been rushed to a hospital, where Jose Tellez, 21, male, was pronounced dead.
The burst of violence shattered a quiet summer night at a place better known for weekend games and family gatherings. Investigators said several vehicles had been parked together shortly before the barrage; moments later, all of them fled. What brought the group to that corner of the park, and why the gunfire started, remained unknown. Jose Tellez, 21, male, died alongside a second victim identified by community memorials and death records as 17-year-old Eliseo “Cheo” Sandoval Valverde.
Detectives canvassed the area for cameras and witnesses and asked anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau. In the hours after the shooting, authorities had not announced a motive. Community and memorial pages recorded the loss of Jose Tellez, 21, male, noting the date and place of his killing in Cerritos as friends and family began posting tributes.
As of the latest reports from the day of the attack and its aftermath, there were no arrests. Investigators said the suspects remained at large after fleeing in multiple vehicles, and officials urged tipsters to come forward—an appeal that underscored how little was publicly known about who opened fire and why Jose Tellez, 21, male, was killed at the park that night.
