Joseph Fierro, 59, a white male, was driving east on the Pomona Freeway on the night of July 21, 2025, when gunfire erupted near the Garey Avenue off-ramp. California Highway Patrol units rushed to the scene around 8:30 p.m. and found him wounded in the upper body/neck outside his vehicle. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later identified Fierro and ruled the death a homicide, citing a gunshot wound to the neck.
Traffic ground to a halt under a SigAlert as investigators closed the off-ramp and combed the area for evidence. Initial reports described the shooting as stemming from a confrontation on the freeway, and officers provided life-saving measures before Fierro was transported. Early coverage noted that he was a Rancho Cucamonga resident, though the medical examiner's summary focused on the manner and cause of death rather than residence.
Authorities said one person was detained at the scene in connection with the gunfire; subsequent reporting described that individual as taken into custody, with a firearm recovered. A later update from City News Service/MyNewsLA added that the person detained had not been charged at that time and that the investigation remained open. As the case unfolded in the days after the shooting, public guidance emphasized CHP's Major Crimes Unit as the lead and asked anyone with information to come forward.
By the following week, the medical examiner's public case listing and regional gun-violence registries reflected Fierro's death and its classification as a homicide. Those records aligned with the freeway location and the date, fixing the fatal encounter to the evening of July 21 near the Garey Avenue off-ramp.
