Authorities are searching for the suspect who killed a man while he was sitting inside his car in Compton.
The victim, Miguel Angel Prado, 23, was found shot to death on Aug. 18, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responded to an assault with a deadly weapon on the 100 block of E. Caldwell Street around 12:46 a.m.
Arriving officers found Prado in the driver’s seat of an SUV with gunshot wounds on his upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators discovered Prado had returned home from work with his girlfriend that night. Before entering their apartment, they sat in the car and chatted with each other.
As they remained parked on the south side of East Caldwell Street, a light-colored sedan drove towards them from Tamarind Avenue.
The sedan stopped near Prado’s SUV and a man walked over to the driver’s side door and peered inside. As Prado spotted the man, he immediately reacted and started his vehicle.
He tried to drive away but was shot several times in the upper torso, deputies said. He eventually crashed into a parked vehicle on the street.
The suspect was seen driving away heading west on Caldwell Street and then southbound on Willowbrook Avenue.
Investigators believe the shooting was gang-related and that Prado was the “innocent victim of a senseless act of violence.” There is no known association or conflict with gang members involving the victim, officials said.
“The areas where the incident occurred have been known for numerous gangs to be present,” said Terrence Bell, LASD Captain.
Homicide detectives believe some witnesses may have seen the suspect or know his identity. He is only described as a Black male.
A press conference was held Wednesday with the victim’s parents and siblings, Compton Station Captain Terrance Bell, and the Mayor of Compton, Emma Sharif.
Sharif said Prado “made an impact on our community as he recently obtained his security guard license and was working at a facility that cared for U.S. Veterans.”
A sketch of the suspect, along with images of their car from a security camera, was released as the shooter remains at large.
“He was taken from us too soon,” Bell said. “He was robbed of his future and stolen from his family. We hope people will have the courage to come forward and help investigators identify the person responsible and bring some semblance of closure to the family.”
Anyone with information on the case can contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted to “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.