Los Angeles County officials are putting $25,000 on the table for any information that can help crack the 2020 killing of 20-year-old Edgar Vazquez, a quiet neighborhood case that has refused to fade away.
Vazquez was shot while driving in an alley near his home at East 135th Street and Avalon Boulevard on July 6, 2020, and died the following day. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week renewed the public call for tips and signed off on a higher reward in hopes that someone finally speaks up.
The increase was authorized in a motion filed Tuesday by county Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, which notes the reward will expire on July 7 unless extended, and asks that the amount be raised to $25,000 to spur new leads. According to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, detectives believe renewed publicity could help identify the people or vehicles seen leaving the scene.
Surveillance, Family Pleas And Vehicles Of Interest
Investigators say surveillance video from that night shows people and vehicles running from the alley. A white Jeep Grand Cherokee and a black Silverado have been identified as vehicles of interest, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
At a recent news conference, Vazquez’s mother made a direct appeal to anyone who might know what happened, urging neighbors to come forward and talk to detectives. "I'm pleading with the community to say something," she told reporters.
What County Records Show
County documents state that Vazquez was alone in a white Toyota Camry when multiple rounds struck his vehicle, causing it to crash into a wall behind 373 E. Piru Street. He was taken to a hospital and died on July 7, 2020, according to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The motion also notes that detectives suspect the shooting was gang-related and that Vazquez was not the intended target. It urges anyone who was in the nearby strip-mall area that night to contact investigators, even if they think what they saw or heard was minor.
How To Help
Anyone with information is asked to call the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. The department posted those tip lines in its announcement on X.
Officials stress that even small details, such as a license plate, dashcam video or a memory of a vehicle leaving the area, could provide the lead detectives have been waiting for.
The county-framed reward increase and renewed public push are meant to breathe life into a case that has sat unsolved for years. Detectives and Vazquez’s family continue to press for answers as they try to close a chapter that has haunted the neighborhood since 2020.
