Steve Garcia, 26
February 16, 2008 | 8:15
am
Steve Garcia, 26, a Latino man, was shot and killed while sitting inside his car at 2791 Carillon St. in Atwater Village at about 2:43 a.m. Friday, Feb. 15. According to police, Garcia and a woman were sitting inside the car when a suspect or suspects approached the vehicle and fired several shots. Garcia was hit multiple times and the woman was hit in the arm, said Officer Richard French of LAPD's media relations office. Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was hospitalized and in stable condition, French said. The suspect or suspects may have fled in a Toyota Corolla, police said.
The police had blocked off the street before I drove to work at 5am, so I knew that something had happened right away. I didn't know what had happened until a neighbor told me a few days later. The newspapers, the TV news, the news radio, none of these supposedly reliable sources even mentioned this, nor did the LAPD blog.
They managed to have a police funeral live on six television channels for many hours (this is a new social trend), but not a single mention of a drug- and gang-related murder/double shooting in my neighborhood.
Is Los Angeles really so big and so crime ridden that a murder can't even be mentioned?
Then, because the SWAT teams are the de facto rock stars this week, this single murder (that happened four blocks away from the Carillon shooting) dominated all the local crime coverage, spawning countless follow-up articles, and, finally, the Times blog page here
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/homicidereport/2008/02/atwater-village.html
made the first mention of this murder/double shooting FIVE DAYS after it happened. Not even an article, just a blog mention, a comment in passing on something not worth writing a story about in the first place. The L.A. Times gets an F- for local news coverage.
Posted by: Juan | February 23, 2008 at 09:51 AM
He was my cousin. I will miss him alot. He was a good man and respected everyone.
R.I.P. Steve Garcia
Posted by: Michelle Lopez | February 24, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Steve Garcia and I grew up together, our parents were good friends. He was a sweet, funny, respectful and loyal friend. Though we lost contact over the past several years, the news of his passing was a shock to me and my family. It is truely sad, that the murder of this man, Steve my friend did not make any news at all. The sensationalism of the "NEWS" is a sobering reality of the state of our city along witth the deterioration of our culture.
Posted by: Abraham Gomez | February 25, 2008 at 05:57 PM
Steve will always be my big brother and my guardian angel from now on. He had a sincere heart for everyone, even for those that are obstracized from society. Equality is one of the things he taught me and because of that, I pray for the family or families of those that murdered my parent's only boy. Whenever the justice system sentences that one or several individuals that killed my big brother, their families will also suffer like we are now. I feel no animosity towards the families of those that killed my brother because to them, having a child that is a murderer is painful as well. When I become a police officer, my brother will give me strength to fight crime and protect the city of angels that he loved so much. When I feel weak, I recall on how strong he was, and that is what keeps me going day by day.
Posted by: Lili Garcia | February 27, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Steve was like a big cousin to me.and Im going to miss him so much.
Posted by: SUSIE | March 04, 2008 at 12:15 AM
wow, Steve was my brother's friend since elementary school. my family knew him well i remember when i was a little girl he would hangout at our house with my brother. he a was happy person. this came to a shock for my brother and my family when we found out... STEVE u will be missed
Posted by: Mary Lugo | March 07, 2008 at 05:52 PM
wow, Steve was my brother's friend since elementary school. my family knew him well i remember when i was a little girl he would hangout at our house with my brother. he a was happy person. this came to a shock for my brother and my family when we found out... STEVE u will be missed
Posted by: Mary Lugo | March 07, 2008 at 05:55 PM
Steve "GEE" was a friend of mine, we went to elementary school together stayed in contact through out the years, because he was my cousins boyfriend for about 7 years. Steve had a wonderfull soul, he had a kind heart, if you knew him or maybe even if you didnt, when you looked into his eyes it was like a window to his soul, and it was wonderfull. As a kid, are the fondest memories I have of him. He was always smiling and happy. When we grew up I was in his life sporadicaly, but his vibe remained the same. If he had it, and you needed, he would give. My condolences to the family, and close friends. God bless them and give them strength for their loss. He will be missed, and I agree it was a shock.
Posted by: Delmy Estrada | March 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM
Although my son is no longer physically present, his warmth is still in our home. Sometimes we feel sad, but then we remember that he would hate to see us like this. We will always remember him for the way he lived, not how he past away. His jokes, his strength, and overall one and only personality will always be in our hearts. I thank everyone that helped us out and it makes me happy to know that my boy was loved by so many friends. From the bottom of my heart, I give thanks to everyone.
Posted by: Lourdes | April 03, 2008 at 09:22 PM
Steve will always be in my heart. I miss him dearly & think about the whole incident day by day. I pray for his mother every night & for his family.There is no words to describe how great he was . No one will ever compare to him as a man,friend,brother son etc. I MISS YOU BOO.
R.I.P Papas
Posted by: Claudia Lara | April 18, 2008 at 11:28 PM
The death of my brother has been very difficult for my family and I to cope with. He was a very lovable and respectful person and always had a helping hand. My heart aches just by seeing my parents suffer this agony of losing their only son. Steve loved my kids dearly and I know he is watching them from heaven. I will always be there for my parents because I know that is what Steve would want. We had a great relationship because we grew up together and we respected each other, and his memories will be cherished for the rest of my life. I hope the people that committed this crime pay for what they did. Steve, you will always be in my heart, I love you little brother.
R.I.P. Steve
Fatima
Posted by: Fatima Romero | April 30, 2008 at 07:28 PM
Gang violence ......
i blame the parents......
for not putting some sense into steve...
evrytime i saw him i would see pain in his eyes and a feeling to be loved....
Teens turn to gangs for attention to be accepted loved etc... for not having it at home ... it pisses me off to read these pathetic people say they were in shock... come on now... your in a gang you are not going far... jail or death..
Change our future give more love and attention to our younger youth... and most of all learn to love and be better parents and friends... one love.....
Posted by: joseromero | June 16, 2009 at 03:15 AM