Donations Sought to Bury Boy Killed Execution-Style

Friends and relatives of 15-year-old George Carino, who was shot to death last week, asked for the public’s help Wednesday in raising money to give the boy they knew as “Raccoon” a proper burial.

Members of the Inglewood-based Stop the Violence Foundation held a news conference in front of a small apartment in the 400 block of Lake Street--the spot where Carino was gunned down, execution-style, about midnight June 29.

They said a trust fund has been set up at a local bank to help the family raise the estimated $3,000 needed for funeral and mortuary services.

“We’re asking everyone to help this family in a time of great need,” said Khalid Shah, president of the foundation, which supports programs that steer youths away from gang life. “Some friends of the family held a carwash last weekend to raise money, but they’re still a long way off.”

According to police reports, Carino, who reportedly had gang connections, was walking with a female friend late that day when a car driven by two young men pulled up alongside them. The men, possibly members of a rival gang, reportedly exchanged words with Carino, then got out of the car and shot him repeatedly.

Carino was pronounced dead at the scene, just a few houses away from where he lived.

“His mom heard the shots but she didn’t go outside. She never imagined it was her son,” said Carino’s uncle, Miguel Altamirano. “She’s very broken up.”

Friends said Carino, an only child, moved to Burbank with his parents about four years ago. He attended Jordan Middle School before transferring to a continuation high school.

In the past year he spent time in a juvenile correctional facility and had been out for less than two months when the shooting occurred. Some said the teen-ager had been trying to break away from gang life.

While the family hopes to bury their son soon, the place where Carino was shot to death has become a shrine to his memory. On Wednesday, friends lit votive candles and laid flowers, packages of cigarettes and even a plush toy raccoon there.

“That’s what everybody’s going to miss about him,” said Jose Sandoval, 23, a self-described former gang member. “He looked just like a little raccoon.”

Shortly after the shooting last week, police detained two people for questioning, but they were later released due to lack of evidence. No new arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, said Burbank Police Lt. Larry Koch.

To donate to the trust fund, call the Stop the Violence Foundation at (213) 777-4893.