Pomona police confirmed Sunday that they found the car belonging to a rookie Los Angeles Police Department officer considered a “person of interest” in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man.
However, Lt. Ronald McDonald with the Pomona Police Department said mid-afternoon that there was still no sign of 27-year-old Henry Solis.
The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta was found at approximately 12:55 p.m. at Monterey and Main streets, roughly 3 to 4 blocks where Salome Rodriguez Jr. had been fatally shot early Friday, McDonald said.
A growing memorial filled with candles, cards, flowers and photos marked the spot at Third and Main streets where the 23-year-old collapsed after he was shot possibly multiple times.
At a vigil held in the area Sunday afternoon, loved ones played his favorite music and hugged and comforted one another. They remembered Rodriguez, a trucker by trade, as a Catholic missionary who put family and his faith first.
“He was just the type of person … he would help no matter what. If you wanted help, he would always help you,” said Sandra Soto. “He was just sweet. He was my best friend.”
Police have declined to say how the LAPD probationary officer was involved in the killing. Solis worked in LAPD’s Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley, and was off-duty at the time Rodriguez was shot, police said.
He has not shown up to work since being named a “person of interest” in the case, according to authorities.
Anyone with information on Solis’ whereabouts is asked to call the Pomona Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 909-620-2085.
