Father of 3 killed in Northridge shooting while earning money for daughter’s birthday cake

A family remains devastated after a beloved father of three was killed in a Northridge strip mall shooting while working to earn money for his daughter’s birthday.

On April 15, 38-year-old Juan Lopez was hired as a painter to cover up gang graffiti on the exterior wall of Northridge Ice Cream.

While Juan was painting, a gunman drove up, stepped out while holding an “Uzi” type semi-automatic handgun and opened fire, striking Juan multiple times in the chest, said LAPD. Three other men who were standing nearby were also shot, police said.

Juan was pronounced dead at the scene. A father of three children, Juan was trying to earn extra money to buy his daughter a birthday cake when he was fatally shot that day.

A painter from Nicaragua, Juan escaped violence in his home country and sought political asylum in the U.S. in Dec. 2022.

His sister, Ruth Lopez, said he was seeking a better life and worked to support his young family back in Nicaragua.

Ruth recalls Juan was excited when he landed the job painting over graffiti for a small business. She said it was difficult for him to get work and the timing was good because he wanted to surprise his 9-year-old daughter with a birthday cake.

“He thought, ‘I’m just going to earn some money and I’m going to send it to her for her cake on Saturday,’” said Ruth.

That day, however, never came. Ruth said Juan left around 7 a.m. that morning. When she returned home from work around 10 p.m. and Juan was nowhere to be found, she knew something was wrong.

The suspect was identified as 24-year-old Jamal Jackson who, in broad daylight, allegedly shot Juan and three other men before fleeing the scene. Juan was mistakenly identified as a man in his 60s at the time.

Surveillance video shows Juan and another victim exiting the ice cream shop with paint supplies when minutes later, bystanders are seen ducking behind cars in the parking lot, likely in response to shots ringing out.

A moment later, an injured victim is seen stumbling back to the shop while telling bystanders he was shot in the stomach.

Jackson was arrested a day later in Ontario. He reportedly told police that he and other gang members had tagged the wall earlier that day and were offended when they saw the men painting over it.

Ruth had been searching for her brother near the shop before she received the terrible news of Juan’s death.

“When they told me that, it was so difficult,” said Ruth. “Impossible to believe.”

The three other victims survived while the suspect was charged with one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Juan’s family provide him with a proper burial in Nicaragua.