$20K Reward For Info: Fatal Shooting Of Monrovia Teens

MONROVIA, CA – A $20,000 award was approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect who gunned down a Canyon Oaks High School senior and wounded a 17-year-old boy in Monrovia.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended the reward in the killing of 18-year-old Oscar Garcia, who was hanging out with two friends inside a garage in the 100 block of West Cypress Avenue about 11:30 p.m. on April 22 when a man walked up and pointed a gun at the group. After a short verbal exchange, the gunman fired multiple shots and then ran off toward an alley behind the home.

Garcia, the second youngest of six children, died at the scene. The 17-year-old, whose name was not released, survived what authorities said were life-threatening gunshot wounds. A teenage girl escaped injury.

Detectives believe the gunman may live in the area where the shooting occurred or frequently visit there. At a May news conference, they said the shooter appeared to have targeted the location, but may not have been looking for Garcia and his friends.

"We don't believe the victims were the targets of the assault," sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, which reported that investigators had not ruled out the possibility of mistaken identity.

Garcia's mother, Guadalupe Castaneda, appeared alongside detectives and said her son "would always go the extra mile to care for others" and "didn't deserve to end this way."

Garcia had been set to graduate in June and planned to study photography at a local community college.

The suspect was described as a light-skinned Hispanic man between 20 and 25 years old. Witnesses said he was about 6 feet tall, with a medium build, brown eyes, short black hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black baseball cap with some kind of logo.

Barger urged anyone with information to call Mendoza at (323) 890-5564 or Crime Stoppers, (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock