Loved ones are devastated after a Southern California father was shot and killed by an off-duty LAPD officer.
Family and friends held a vigil Thursday night, calling for justice in the death of Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three young children.
“He was the best,” said Luc Cachua, Hugo’s mother. “That’s why so many people have come [to the vigil] because he was so lovable. Everyone who met him loved him.”
The incident happened on May 30 in Ontario near North Euclid Avenue and West 6th Street as Cachua and Victor Corral, a Los Angeles police officer who was off-duty at the time, became embroiled in a heated argument after a reported fender bender at around 8:30 p.m.
Both men exited their vehicles and somehow the situation escalated into a physical confrontation.
A dashcam video from a passing vehicle captured the two men struggling on a neighborhood sidewalk when three gunshots were suddenly heard.
Family members said Cachua was unarmed and was shot in the back. At the time, Corral had been on medical leave for about a year due to an injury, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On Thursday night, Cachua was honored by friends and loved ones who held a vigil near the spot where he was killed.
“He was everything to us,” said Luis Cachua, Hugo’s brother. “Our knight in shining armor. He kept our family together.”
Manuel Acevedo, a family friend, said he attended the vigil to “help the mother and the family. To respect and honor [Hugo’s mother] and stand by her side in the troubles she is going through.”
Hugo was an Amazon delivery worker who was a father to three young children and an older brother to five siblings.
Loved ones are devastated while desperately seeking answers, with some questioning why Corral was armed in the first place.
Corral joined the LAPD’s Central Division in 1995. An LAPD source told the Times Corral had not regularly qualified on the shooting range according to department procedure since he had been off work for an extended period.
In such circumstances, under department policy, an officer’s privileges to carry a concealed weapon should be withdrawn, but that had not happened in this case, the source told the Times.
Hugo’s family said they have not received any updates on the the LAPD officer or the investigation so far.
“We want answers,” Luis said. “We want justice for our brother. We can’t just sit back and let [the police officer] live his life while we suffer, mourn and grieve in pain.”
An LAPD spokesperson said the department was “aware of the shooting and is fully cooperating with the investigation,” however, no further statements were released.
The California Department of Justice will be leading the investigation into the fatal incident.
A GoFundMe page created to help Hugo’s family with funeral expenses can be found here.