300 Hold Vigil for Youth Killed in Gang Violence

About 300 people held a candlelight vigil under a twilight sky Friday in Sylmar to honor a 16-year-old boy killed last month by alleged gang members who apparently mistook him for someone else.

Family members and friends at the last minute canceled plans for a march from the San Fernando street corner where Jimmie Torrez III was killed. Police and city officials feared the group could become the target of a gang attack, said Cynthia Valdez, a family friend who helped organize the vigil.

Many of those at the vigil, held in the parking lot of St. Didacus Catholic Church, said they came not only to remember Jimmie, but also to bring attention to the impact of gang violence in the east San Fernando Valley.

“We’re trying to get our community together so we can protect our children” said Linda Blakely, Jimmie’s godmother. Blakely was one of about a dozen people who walked together to the gathering despite fears of violence. They carried lighted candles and walked in small groups along Glenoaks Boulevard.

Torrez was attacked by four people Aug. 28, apparently in the mistaken belief that he had killed a gang member several weeks earlier in Pacoima. The assailants, three adults and a teen-ager, were associated with the gang member killed in Pacoima, police said.

Jimmie’s mother, Donna Torrez, read a prepared statement to the crowd, remembering her son as a handsome young man who was close to his family.

“Our son was an innocent victim,” she said. “We don’t want this type of thing to happen to other families. Mothers and fathers don’t need to go through this; it’s too hard,” she said, her voice trailing off to tears.

Authorities said the attackers, who were in a car, saw Torrez riding on the back of a motorcycle with a friend. They intentionally rear-ended the motorcycle and a short chase began, police said.

Used Rifle

Torrez fell off the motorcycle when it hit the curb. The attackers stopped, grabbed Torrez and punched and kicked him, authorities said. Torrez tried to flee but was knocked down. One attacker went to the car, got a rifle and shot Torrez several times, police said. Torrez was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Albert Martinez, 20, of Lake View Terrace, and Manuel Madrigal, 22, and Robert Flores, 23, of Pacoima have been arrested in connection with the killing, as has a 16-year-old Pacoima youth whose name was not released. They were arraigned Aug. 29 on murder charges in San Fernando Municipal Court.

Friday would have been Jimmie’s 17th birthday. John Lucero, 16, was one of about a dozen youths holding a long banner that read: “Happy Birthday Jimmie Baby. We Love You.”

“He was a really good guy,” Lucero said, adding that he had known Jimmie since elementary school and had played with him on Little League baseball teams. “He was like a brother to me.”