A chilling footage has appeared on the web showing a Los Angeles man being shot dead while walking his dog early on Saturday morning. The incident happened at the intersection of Genesee Avenue and Saturn Street.
The 52-year-old Marcos Sandoval was walking with his dog, Little Torro, at the street when a dark-colored Ford Fusion approached.
A driver from the vehicle came out and interacted with Sandoval and minutes after the driver shot him.
Officials believe that driver had no motive to kill Sandoval and it is also unclear if knew the perpetrator prior to the shooting. Sandoval's family has also revealed that he had no enemies.
Loud Argument
Ahead of the shooting, Sandoval and the suspect had a loud argument, revealed a neighbor, who claimed to have awoken by the incident.
'I woke up maybe like 5:30 (a.m.) and heard two-man talking loudly, arguing,' the neighbor told CBS Los Angeles.
'Then my dog and cat woke up and a few minutes – maybe 5 minutes – went by then I heard two gunshots. I didn't know they were gunshots at the time,' said she.
The resident said based on the tone of the conversation, Sandoval likely knew the suspect. She added: 'It was emotional.'
The neighborhood is usually a no crime zone, neighbor told CBS Los Angeles, which has obtained a copy of the video footage of the shooting.
Surge in Murder Case
The city is witnessing a surge in murder cases and also a jump in violent crimes and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is under fire over the spike in crimes.
Since 2019, Los Angeles has seen a 54 percent increase in murders, a rise in the number of street shootings since 2020 and an increase in the number of armed holdups.
Gascon, a 67-year-old former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, took over as district attorney in the heavily Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda - eliminating the use of sentencing enhancements for gang membership, certain uses of guns and for prior convictions, according to the Daily Mail.
