A small memorial has been placed at a West Adams Metro station a day after a man was shot in the head and killed while on a train.
Flowers and candles rest on the sidewalk outside the Metro E Line station, where on Friday, a group fatally shot a man on the train and then took off. The violence was reported just before 7:30 p.m. on the 5660 block of Jefferson Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The victim was identified by police as 38-year-old Juan Garcia, who was known by his friends as “Tony.”
“The guy was a good guy. He had a good future ahead of him,” said Joel Padilla, the brother-in-law of the victim. “He had kids here on this planet and he was taken away from us too sudden.”
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According to Padilla, Garcia was a father of four who frequently traveled on the E Line.
"The guy rode this daily and had no issues," Padilla said. "He had kids to go to every day and home and a wife to go to. He had a mom on the other side. He had no trouble."
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LAPD said the investigation revealed that an argument took place on the ground level of the station and that the individuals involved in the dispute then boarded a train that was waiting at the platform. That’s when the shooting occurred.
“I got a call from my nephew and my niece last night; They were crying and they told me about the incident,” Padilla said. “As soon as I heard, I came straight down here and it’s something I didn’t want to see. Like I said earlier, we’re devastated and we’re here to support the family.”
Police are now searching for a group of four people who are believed to have fled the scene on skateboards. They are believed to be between the ages of 15 to 20 years. A more detailed description of the assailants was not available.
The investigation is ongoing.
