Gary Moreno was 30 years old when he died on Saturday, February 5, 2011, in Wilmington. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of a stab wound, with the location listed as 431 Avalon Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 30-year-old Latino" who died in the 200 block of Avalon Boulevard. Citing an LAPD news release, the Times reported that "Moreno was found stabbed in an alley about 1:35 a.m." The account that followed was unusual. "Officials said a resident in the area witnessed a white car run over Moreno, then leave the scene." Paramedics were called, and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to coroner's records, he had "a stab wound to the center of his chest, as well as abrasions to his face, arm and side."
Authorities said it was "unknown whether the person seen running over Moreno with the car is also responsible for his stab wounds." The Times also reported that "an aggravated assault and robbery occurred near to where Moreno was found," and that investigators were trying to determine whether the incidents were related. The public record does not say what they concluded, and no description of the white car or its driver was released.
A short obituary posted by Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes gives a few more details. It lists Gary Moreno as born on June 25, 1980, and as having died on February 5, 2011, and says he was "survived by mother Delia (Lester) Estrada." A Legacy.com listing for the same obituary places him in Wilmington. Beyond those lines, little about his life has been made public. Gary Moreno is also a common name, and searches turn up many other men who share it, none of whom can be tied to this death.
Wilmington is a harbor community in the southern part of the city of Los Angeles, next to the Port of Los Angeles. It is a largely working-class neighborhood of older homes, apartments and small businesses, bordered by port terminals, rail yards and oil refineries. Avalon Boulevard is one of its main streets, running north and south through the heart of the community toward the waterfront. The neighborhood is also home to the Banning Museum, the former house of the port pioneer Phineas Banning.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Gary Moreno could be found in news archives or public records. More than 14 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in the area of Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington in the early morning hours of February 5, 2011, and who saw a white car, heard an argument or noticed someone running from an alley, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. At the time, the Times asked anyone with information to contact Harbor area homicide Detectives Rivas or Paglialonga at (310) 726-7880. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
