Officials joined family members of a man shot and killed outside a Westlake district church in an appeal to the public for information about the slaying.
Andres Ordonez, 25, of Los Angeles was killed, and a man in his 40s was wounded in the shooting outside the Principe de Paz church in the 3000 block of
Ordonez and the wounded victim, who was in stable condition following the shooting, emerged from the storefront church to try to stop a female from spray-painting red graffiti on one of its walls when a gunman got out of a stopped vehicle and opened fire, said Sgt. Herb Chang of the Los Angeles Police
Department's Rampart Station.
Both the female and the shooter then got into the vehicle and fled.
Police are looking for a total of three suspects believed to have gang affiliations.
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman.
Councilman Eric Garcetti will join Los Angeles police Capt. Steven Ruiz, commander of the Rampart Station, at a news conference at the station this
afternoon to urge people to come forward with information about the case.
Investigators say gang activity has instilled fear among people who live
near the church.
Ordonez worked as a cook and was the father of a year-old son. He is
also survived by his wife, who is a granddaughter of the church's pastor.
A sign at the church identified it as part of the Movimiento Pentocostal
Hispano. Its congregation is comprised mostly of immigrants from Guatemala
and other Central American countries.
People who want to help the family pay for the funeral can donate to the Andres Ordonez Family Assistance fund at Bank of America.
Anyone with information about the assailants was urged to contact
Rampart Division homicide detectives at (213) 484-3634. To leave an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
