Neighbor Sought in Fatal Shooting

A Pacoima man shot a neighbor to death Friday because he thought the victim and his family were too noisy, then fled before he could be arrested, Los Angeles police said.

The victim, Sergio Gabriel Morales, lived with his family in a one-room cottage behind a house in the 11200 block of Tamarack Avenue, police said. The suspect, Juan Mancilla, 52, lived in a trailer parked in the same yard and apparently had been upset for some time over noise coming from Morales’ cottage, police said.

“Every time the suspect felt the family was too noisy, he would shoot his gun,” Sgt. Don Hooper said. An argument broke out between the men about 2:45 a.m. Friday when Mancilla started firing his gun, Hooper said.

“This time, the victim went outside and told him to stop and told him that if he’s going to shoot at somebody he should shoot at him, which the suspect did,” Hooper said.

Morales died from three gunshot wounds to the upper torso, Hooper said. Morales shared the cottage with his mother, wife and five children ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years.

Mancilla fled to his van in the street and struggled there with Otilio Palomino, owner of the front house, who tried to stop him, police said. Police said Palomino told them that Mancilla pulled a gun and fired a shot that narrowly missed Palomino’s head.

Officers discovered the van abandoned about five minutes later near Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Filmore Street, Lt. Richard Meraz said. Palomino said Mancilla had lived in the trailer for about a month.

Morales and his family had lived in the cottage for the last seven months. Palomino said that at least three times in the last two months he had heard shots fired in his back yard.