No motive yet in El Camino High soccer player killing

 

The 17-year-old soccer player shot to death in front of his Winnetka home, reportedly by a girl who went to his front door, was identified by police Thursday as Francisco Rodriguez Jr.

Details of the Wednesday night killing remain unclear, but a neighbor told a TV station Rodriguez walked out of his house when a girl came to the door, and a car was waiting on the street.

Detectives have not identified a motive or suspects, or determined how many people were involved or how many shots were fired, said Officer Sara Faden of the Los Angeles Police Department.

When police arrived at the house, in the 6900 block of Cozycroft Avenue, Rodriguez was lying in the frontyard, unconscious and not breathing.

[Updated at 8:38 a.m.: At least 52 homicides have been reported within four miles of Wednesday's shooting since January 2007, according to coroner’s data collected for The Times’ interactive Homicide Report.]

He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting occurred about 6:10 p.m., an hour after Rodriguez finished a soccer game. He played goalie for the El Camino Real High School Conquistadors, recording four saves against Taft High School.

The final score was 0-0. A teammate drove him home after the game, his soccer coach told a TV reporter.

A memorial page was set up for Rodriguez on Facebook, and Los Angeles Unified School District planned to provide grief counselors at the school.

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-- Alan Zarembo

Map: Shows location of Wednesday's shooting in purple, as well as 52 other homicides, in red, since January 2007. Credit: Los Angeles Times