Martin Gudines, 33, was a man working to support his family when his life was tragically cut short. In the wake of his death, his sisters remembered their brother as they faced an unimaginable loss. They organized a fundraiser to help bring him home to his mother in her native country, so she could say her final farewell and lay her son to rest. The family expressed the deep pain of their situation and the financial burden of transporting his remains internationally, writing, "No family should
have to carry this kind of pain alone."
The fatal encounter occurred on the evening of Thursday, October 8, 2026. Gudines, a male employee, was at his job at a marijuana dispensary in the unincorporated Florence-Graham neighborhood, a dense, primarily residential community located just south of Downtown Los Angeles. At approximately 7:30 p.m., two armed individuals entered the business, which was situated in the 2000 block of Nadeau Street. A violent confrontation erupted almost immediately.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a witness who was also inside the dispensary fled to the back of the building for safety as the events unfolded. Gudines, however, confronted the two gunmen. An exchange of gunfire followed. After the shots were fired, the two suspects immediately fled the scene, disappearing into the night before law enforcement arrived. It is not known if anything was taken from the business.
When deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reached the dispensary, they found Gudines suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite any medical aid that may have been rendered, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office later officially identified him as the victim. His city of residence was not publicly released. Later that night, video from the scene showed a section of Nadeau Street cordoned off with police tape, the flashing lights of patrol cars illuminating the area as homicide detectives began their investigation.
The investigation into the murder of Martin Gudines was assigned to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau. In the days following the shooting, authorities confirmed Gudines' identity but had little information to release to the public. No descriptions of the two suspects who fled the dispensary have been made available, and no arrests have been announced in connection with the case. The motive for the incident is presumed to be robbery, but this has not been officially confirmed.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Gudines' sisters created a GoFundMe page to appeal for help with the considerable expense of returning his body to his mother. "This fundraiser is being created so Martin’s family can focus on grieving and on helping his mother be reunited with her son," they wrote. "The funds raised will go toward transporting Martin’s remains to his mother in her country, so she can be with him again and lay him to rest." The family’s plea underscored the profound personal toll of the violence, seeking to ease the financial strain so they could focus on their grief and on the difficult task of bringing a mother and son together one last time.
As of late October 2026, the case remains unsolved, and the two individuals responsible for Martin Gudines' death are still at large. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are asking for the public's assistance to find justice for Gudines and his family. Anyone with information about the shooting, the suspects, or any other aspect of the case is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
