Father responding to Craigslist ad fatally shot in front of son
A 41-year-old South Gate father was fatally shot in front of his teenage son over the weekend after responding to a Craigslist ad, authorities said Monday.
Rene Balbuena and his 15-year-old son responded to an online post Saturday evening and went to the intersection of West 92nd Street and South Gramercy Place, said Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“He was approached by two people that made that online post ... they were possibly going to rob him,” Madison said.
HOMICIDE REPORT: Track killings in L.A. County
An official with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said Balbuena was shot about 7:40 p.m. in front of his son.
NBC4 reported that Balbuena was hit three times in the chest and that his son was grazed by a bullet. They also reported that Balbuena was apparently trying to buy a cellphone.
The homicide was the first in Los Angeles in 10 days. The last time the city went for 10 days without a homicide was in 2010.
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