We turn now to weekend killings...
The New Year's weekend saw two men gunned down in separate incidents. The first happened on Friday when a former gang member turned LIU employee was shot dead with his kid nearby. 38-year-old Jorge Caceres was right outside his gate when he was killed, and now his family is left traumatized and grief-stricken. Courtney Menzies spoke with them today and has this story.
Only three days before the birth of his newborn, 38-year-old Jorge Caceres, who also goes by the last name Lozano, was murdered in front of his toddler and his pregnant girlfriend.
On Friday night at 6:00, he was standing outside of his home with his family, including several children, when a car raced by and shots were fired. Caceres fell to the ground at his father's feet, and passed away the next day while receiving treatment.
Up to now, police don't have a motive, but they say it could be because of his past.
ACP Hilberto Romero, OCED
"Investigation revealed that Lozano was at the street when a white car pulled up, a male person then fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. No suspects at this time."
"We have dealt with him in the past and the investigation continues as we have no suspects at this time."
Courtney Menzies:
"But do you believe it's somehow gang related?"
ACP Hilberto Romero, OCED
"Probably it's something to that effect."
But while Caceres had his run-ins with the law, he'd been employed by the LIU, which he wouldn't be able to do if he was still involved in criminal activity. His family said he'd been trying to change his life, but after his death, the police stormed their yard and arrested his grieving brothers.
Voice Of: Relative
"The next day, when we got the news that he actually passed, it hurt, that he actually passed and to see that we come now to grieve together as one, and we're grieving and one blink of eye, instead of the police coming to reach out and check to see if we're okay because our loved one just passed, they didn't do that, they came cordial but the way they took the family, members, it was uncalled for. The moment when we're grieving, we're supposed to be allowed that privacy to grieve then after that do what you want but instead they took in a couple of the family members and kept them for a 48 which was uncalled for."
"They're self employed, all of them, self employed, so your jobs are when you go out, you make your money, so they won't reimburse us for that, most naturally, that's a loss to us because from this happened, not even Chester reached out to the family so it's like basically, the people who are supposed to protect you, aren't protecting, you, so how you could ever say a justice will come out of this?"
"The family members that they accused of being members of a gang and took in, they are hardworking, fathers, brothers, sons, so I don't understand this at all."
But police said it was to prevent further escalation:
ACP Hilberto Romero. OCED
"There was some threat of retaliation so we took some action to prevent any retaliation regarding this murder."
Still, this family feels they should be given the time to come to terms with the death of their brother and son. And now, they're hoping that can lay him to rest peacefully, since they say Caceres had a lot of love for his family.
Voice Of: Relative
"Who didn't know Ras, didn't know Ras again. Ras, when he wanted to get out, if you didn't argue with Ras, you weren't a part of his family, and it was like that he used to express himself. He was love, we used to go on trips together, we go swim, his main thing that he used to like doing is barbecue. He will light up a grill and everybody comes together, that's why the night when the incident happened, it was shocking, especially when we got the call."
Caceres leaves behind three children.
