Van Nuys: Robert Rodriguez, 14

Robert Rodriguez, a 14-year-old Latino boy, was shot and killed on Friday, Oct. 23, in the 15400 block of Vanowen Street in Van Nuys, according to Los Angeles County coroner's officials.

Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said Rodriguez was standing outside an apartment when he was approached by someone and shot. Winter said the assailant could be affiliated with a gang.

Rodriguez was shot about 3:50 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene at 4 p.m., Winter said.

—Anthony Pesce

Follow the Homicide Report on Twitter@latimeshomicide.

Map: The location where Robert Rodriguez was shot.

Click the Van Nuys Mapping L.A. page to learn about the neighborhood demographics.

Comments

[562vert]

I'm not surprised I didn't hear about this on the news..too bad...this 14yr old got killed....just a kid

[missing linq]

man,these kids are dying too dang young.my prayers to the family.we have got to get a hold on this generation before they all disapear.

[KIMBERLY <3]

R.I.P BELOVED FRIEND..I MISS YOU ALOT I DIDNT GET TO SAY GOODBYE BUT THIS IS MY GOODBYE TO YOU.. I MISS YOU ALOT NOW YOU JUST GOT TO WAIT FOR ME IN THE OTHER WORLD..MAY ALL THE PEACE BE WITH YOU..AND ALWAYS KNOW WE ARE DOWN HERE AND THAT WE ALL LOVED YOU...LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER...R.I.P ROBERT..

[KIMBERLY<3]

DAMM YOUR GONE ITS REALLY REALLY HARD TO BELIVE THAT...I MISS HAVING YOU AROUND. ALWAYS SO HAPPY AND ENERGETIC N LOUD. YOU ALWAYS HAD A SMILE IN YOUR FACE. ALWAYS PUT A SMILE IN MINE. N THAT YOUR GONE I WON'T BE ABLE TO SMILE ANYMORE.MAY YOU REST IN PEACE. BECAUSE NOW YOU ARE IN A BETTER WORLD.HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE OTHER WORLD.LOVE YOU N MISS YOU...
R.I.P

[Just Say'n]

Wow!... My condolence and prayers go out to this kids family, because I know all so well how the pain of losing a kid in this manner feels, and I'm reminded every year around this time, because my family had to bury my little cousin this day in 2005', and the pain stays with you forever. Just like the old saying "It takes a village to raise a kid", and we really need to start with our young kids that's under 12 years of age instilling moral values, and love in them now, because until we start helping to make a change, then we will never see a change. Look at the generation now that will kill, and steal right on the spot with no remorse. So we most start teaching them, and showing them how valuable life is, and the hurt they can cause by taking a life, to their family and the victims families.

[STEPHANIE]

dammmm we r goin to miss u n remember u in our hearts and i still cant belevie u r gone :{

[STEPHANIE]

I STILL CAN NOT BELEVIE YOUR GONE AND LEFT US BUT I KNOW U R IN THE OTHER WORLD WERE THERE US PEACE AND HAPPINESS WE R GOIN TO MISS U N ALWAYS HAVE U IN OUR HEARTS AND REMEMBER THE MEMORIES WE HAVE OF U AND NERVER FORGET R.I.P ROBERT

[Anthony]

I still can't belive your gone ROBERT we miss you so much.at school it feels so so so much diffrent it feels cold and lonely.everyone misses you your friends teacher your mom and family and your girlfriend.it's just so hard to faith the truth and tell my self your gone.everyone keeps mourning at school we all just talk about the good times we had togther.Iam sorry for the rumor going around it sux but we know your in a better place.ROBERT RODRIGUEZ will never ever forget you and you will always be in are hearts no mater what can't wait to see you one day.

The RODRIGUEZ FAMILY-iam so sorry for your lost I can't imagine what your going therw.I just Wang to say that eveyone at school misses ROBERt and that we are here for you in your time of need.

[Anthony]

This is a question and comment.

Why isn't this on the news?this is a sad and disapointing story of our 14 year old friend Robert Rodriguez was shot and killed last Friday.it's been a week know and it hasn't been on the news.many of us our disapointed and mad at the news beacuse it wasent on tv he died a very sad way and it was on our community and we think it should be on tv.so if you can please do us a favor and put his story on the news thanks.

[cristabeth>3]

robert man i cant beleve this happend to u i did even get to say bye to u am sory i wish i could don something to help u your always gona be rembered just wait for me caues we wil see eachther in the other world and me reina kimberly will always be rembering you and missing you but know your in a beter place i love rip robert

[Anthony]

Why wasent this on the news.

R.I.P Robert
we miss you.!!

[cristabeth>3]

RIP ROBERT YOUR MEMORY WILL ALWAYS REMBERED

[syscom3]

Anthony, the reason it wasnt in the news, is because such criminal acts are
no longer is newsworthy.

So many young people have been murdered the past few years, it no longer shocks people. And once "gang related" is attached to it, most people simply no longer care.

read this homicide report long enough, and you too will go through distinct phases, starting with shock and indignation, finally ending with a jaded attitude.

[WilliamHung818]

I was born and raised in Van nuys. I have lived here all 33 years of my life. I went to High School here in Van Nuys. I just thought I would let everyone know that. Doesn't anyone care? I find it highly fascinating and you should too. Also in case you didn't notice there are a lot of Hispanic owned businesses in Van Buys. Bet you didn't know that.

[STEPHANIE]

R.I.P ROBERT WE MISS U ALOT BUT I KNOW U R IN A BETTER PLACE

[Karina Rodriguez]

Just want it to say I love you boby is killing me inside what happend to you .i still don't understand why ur gone and can't bileve that your not with us animore .this is robert aunt thank you everyone for your help and suport god blessed all of you.

[KIMBERLY<3]

DAMM 2 WEEKS THAT YOU BIN GONE THE STREETS FEEL SO EMPTY.. WE ARE SOOOOO HURT INIDE NOW THAT YOUR NOT HERE.. WE ALL MISS YOU ALOT I MISS EVERY SINGLE MOMENT I SPEND WITH YOU..YOU WERE AN AWSOME HOMEBOY AWAYS MAKING ME LAUGH.. MAN I WISH I WAS THERE IN YOUR LAST MOMENT ALIVE TO AT LEAST AY GOODBYE OR NEVER SAY GOODBYE AND I WOULD OF GAVE MY LIFE TO KEEP YOU HERE IN THIS WORLD...YOU ALWAYS HAD YOUR BEENIE ON.. I WOULD ALWAYS TAKE IT OFF MAN I MISS YOU.. YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTON EVER.. I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE OTHER WORLD .I LOVE YOU ALOT.REST IN PEACE ROBERT RODRIGUEZ.... SEE YOU LATER..!
KIMBERLY.......=`(

[Stephanie]

R.I.P Robert Rodriguez you will be missed and we have all those mermories of u and rember that you would put smiles in peoples faces we miss u n have u in our heart never be forgotten (rest n peace RObert ) :(

[karina]

I Miss you carnalito..U Will always b in my heart. I remember when i 1st met u .I LOVE YOU ROBERT ..
KARINA LUVS YOU N MISSES U...<3333

[TANNIA TORRES]

ROXANA AND KARINA,
YOU GUYS ARE LIKE SISTERS TO ME AND BELIEVE ME. THIS TRAGEDY HAS AFFECTED ME IN ALOT OF WAYS. wHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING SO TRAGIC WOULD HAPPEN TO ONE OF US?! I KNOW THAT THERE IS NO WORDS THAT I CAN SAY THAT WILL TAKE YOUR PAIN AWAY. BUT I'VE FELT THE PAIN OF LOSING SOMEONE THAT I REALLY LOVED. THAT PAIN CAN'T BE HEALED WITH NO WORDS. IT WILL REMAIN IN YOUR HEART FOREVER BUT KNOW THAT YOUR LITTLE ANGEL (BOBBY) IS IN A BETTER PLACE.WITH GOD.
KNOW THAT MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU ROXANA AND YOUR FAMILY.
LOVE ALWAYS,
TANNIA TORRES &
FAMILY

[Lnlyheart]

HI EVERYONE THIS IS ROBERTS MOM THANK U FOR EVERYONES SUPPORT HELP N PRAYERS THERES NO WORDS CAN HEAL MY PAIN. BUT I GOTTA LEARN HOW TO LIVE WITH IT. IN MEMORY OF MY SON ROBERT RODRIGUEZ JUSTICE WILL BE SERVE AND, I WILL B ABLE TO HAVE AT LEAST SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE...EVN THOUGHT NOTHIN CAN BRING MY BABY BACK. I LOVE U SON DEARLY N I WILL C U SOON IN PARADISE....

[Lnlyheart]

THANK YOU TANNIA!!!! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! LOVE U LOTS

[LucyLuu<3]

EveryOne's Gonna Miss You,And I still can't believe your Gone :(
I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU FOREVER.
YOU WERE SUCH A GOOD FRIEND,BROTHER,AND SON. <3
UNTILL WE MEET AGAIN :(
BEST WISHES FOR YOUR FAMILY..
MOMMY ROXXY... I LOVE YOU AND HOLD YOUR HEAD UP MOM <3

[angelic contreras]

i new robert almost my whole life and he was a good good friend i ever had he was the best i loved him alot and i still do and i miss him alot to and his family misses him to and his brother we all love him and wish he was still here i love u baby and miss u i was crying alot when i had found this out and i cryed and have ate for 2 days

we luv u robert and miss u luv ur baby girl xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoloxoooxooxoxoxoooxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxoooxooxoxooxoxoooxoooxoxo

[triste]

dayum man...that sux for all the sad ppl down der posting cmmnts but yooh gottarealize living thiss type of life has consequences. consequences you'll get numb to if you keep hanging out wit ppl like us. eversince that day at school it feelsdifferent not for me cause i wasnt exactly roberts friend. but its sad tosee another young man fall into dese types of life. and for his girlfriend Jazmine, i look at how when i used to hang out with her before this, she seemed happy, but after that...you seem kinda down...but let that be an example to all you girls out there. we aint exaktly the person you want to go out wit... well anyways Jazmine i can imagine what your goin throughcause ive lost more ppl in my life than any other kid my age. and you know what im not proud of that becuss im barely 15 yrs old. but death is only certain. especially cuss its taking everyone i aktually care about little by little...
well anyway this is for all the fallen homies.
R.I.P.

[ricardo(jesus Arevalo) DAD]

I never met Robert however my son did went to school together and his death shocked him tremendously it is sad how we keep loosing our kids it is sad how a child can kill another child and it is sad that even though kids see this they rather ignore all the facts and continue this type of life. I hope he's death was/is not in vain and many kids/parents can/will learn from this and take a step further and not a step back. R.I.P Robert from your friend Jesus Arevalo and his father Ricardo Arevalo may your soul rest in eternal peace and may your death help us parents speak and get closer to our children to fight for them and keep them off the streets,gangs drugs etc.

[lnlyheart]

sometimes is so easy to judge ppl. without even knowin...or for the stupid rumors they hear on the streets...but im proud to say i did my best as a single mother to raise my kids the best i could, but lets not forget my son was the victim here. if so, we could talk about the other. but im not gonna do it. ill leave it in Gods hands...and im sure no parent want their kids to be criminals! but were not no body to judge. if so all this have guide me closer to God. n im sure i will one day he will tell me why this things happen...i love my son dearly and, im so proud of him that it wasnt him that took no ones life! if so, hes helping 4 ppl.to live im so proud of you son like you always wanted help ppl. R.I.P. MY BELOVED SON ROBERT RODRIGUEZ

[Kay]

Well isn't that part of the problem...I'm a single mother and I did the best I could? I'm glad he didn't kill anyone? I think this did not come across they way you intended. I feel empathy for you. I don't think any mother should have to go through this kind of situation but this is exactly the kind of situation athat we continue to have because we as parents don't have the time or energy or wisdom to know that there are better things out there. I too am a single mother of two. And I had to fight my way to where I and my children are now. There were many many sleepless nights. Work days were too long. Running from one thing to another to keep my kids busy and to show them that there are better options out there. We all pass judgement on each other everyday...although it would be nice if we could somehow allow a higher being to pass judgement on us but we do not. We sit and judge each other based on apperance, behavior and language. If we didn't then we could not survive in this world. It's the judgment to not walk down a certain street or stay out of a certain area or avoid a certain party that keeps some of us alive. Trieste shed some light on this tragic event...I hope this child finds the peace he was looking for down here where ever he ends up.

[syscom3]

After reading Tristes and the deceased's mom's post, I'm beginning to believe Robert was a "wannabe gangster" himself.

[lnlyheart]

again ignorant ppl...just love to talk...im done with this!!! thank you for all those who bein with me! goodbye...

[Kay]

Lnlyheart,

Again,part of the problem. Running does nothing to solve the problem. You need to face facts and deal with them. You put your life out here on this blog. Running in the other direction because you don't like the tone or direction of what is being written is not going to change anything. You very well might need extra help with your children, may be your other children are at a cross roads right now trying to make a decision on what to do. Reach out to people get your kids back on the right track. There is nothing wrong with asking for help for your kids sake, do you really want to have to bury another child?

[jenny]

rip robert i wasent closetoyou but i new you wen i heard i cried we miss you and will sherish u youngster 4 eva

[triste]

Hey yo "SYSCOM3" i never said anythang about Robert bieng a wannabe or a gangster dawg. Listen he was just mixed up wit the wrong ppl ese. Kids now in days wether they want it or not have gangster friends. And yeah i did'nt know Robert that much but i knew what he was about. And i know more about this so called "crime" than any cop or anybody in school, the reason why is because of who i am. If I'm at liberty to say is some else. but I ain't tryin tojudge anybody here im just saying that in a couple more yrs more and more kids are gonna be falling like this. But nobody wants to admit it. Why do you think they aint showing nothing about this on the news?

"LNLYHEART" im sorry for your loss and im sorry if i offended you with my last cmmnt,
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY STRONG...

[Sam]

Treiste,

You are only 15 years old if we eleminate the first 10 years of your life when you were learning to whip your own...well rear end in the past five years you have managed to see so much destruction? What group of people are you hanging out with? Because "ese" I to am 15 years old I am growing up in Boyle Hieghts and I do not have any gangster friends! I don not hang out with gangsters nor do I stand on the street talking to gangsters all for the same reason I do not want to get shot!! I have way too much to leave for. I want to know what it feels like to buy my very first brand new car. I want to know what it feels like to own my first house. I do not know what city your are living in but in the part of the city I live in...I can see the other side of the tracks and I want to know what living on that side feels like. From my part of the city I can see hope, and fairness and hope and my future. From my part of the city I see a life time of dreams still left to fulfill. I hope you find your dreams and the you are able to change your name from trieste to happy. You know, you mother did not name you trieste...you have a name now all you have to do is change your outlook. Good luck I wish you the best.

[TRiSTE]

"Sam" listen i knew way more stuff before the age of 10 than most kids know now in day, besides wiping my own...anyway this kid didnt get shot for standing in the street talking to gangsters. And let me tell you something...this kid wasnt planning, thinking, mentioning, or even wanting to get shot either. Listen I know people in Boyle who used to live where i hang out now. They moved for the reason that its way more chill than Canoga Park. And over here Ive seen more destruction than our own troops in Afghanistan. I know this because i have friends that know that if your living over her...the only way to avoid people like me, is to go put yourself on the line at Afganistan. And trust me, you dont want to know the people I hang out with. And i dont go out blaming this on any body. Because when i was small i had a choice, myparents moved to Encino the richest and whitest place here in the valley. I had a choice not to talk to all those people, but i did for the reason that i thought they where "cool" and they had all they wanted apparently...and i wanted that feeling too. But now like alot of OG's and guys who now have families i wish i hadnt made that choice. And you know what man i also want now those feelings you want of having your own car and house. But i still know that I cant turn away that easy from the people i know now and i know i cant expect to have done so much damage to so many people and families in my past and just get away with it...
Im happy to hear you managed to stay away from us an i hope you accomplish your goals and life...

[Sam]

Triste,

This is Sam again. I have a few questions for you...lets say you try to change your life...then what? I mean being in the life style that you wanted don't your crimes still walk with you too? Just because you decide to make a change aren't there still people mad at you? People who you did things to? People who you owe things to? Say in five years or even in three when you become an adult and you want to make changes aren't you still the statistic that claims that life of a 20 year old who was in the process of changing his life who gets killed? How does one go about trying to stay alive every moment of his life? Doesn't that become depressing? Don't you ever want to wake up one day and have just one day of not looking behind you for what you did? How do you keep going? What motivates you? Do you just get out of bed every morning because you didn't die in your sleep or do you get up every morning because you have dreams and goals? I just don't get your life style. I don't get what motives you to live day to day. I'm not trying to be a smart ass I really want to know. We are the same age and I have no idea what the soldiers in Afghanistan have lived through. I have no idea what it is they have had to do. Right now I can't even imagin what it must be like over there in Afghanistan. I really want to know what it is you've done in your life what kind of pain it is that you have inflicted on others. What have you done with your life in 15 years that left you here...always looking around afraid that the next gun shot is for you.