Man Killed While Crossing I-5 Is Identified

The man struck by a car and killed when he ran across Interstate 5 near the Border Patrol checkpoint Sunday night was identified by relatives as Zenaido Garcia, 24, of the state of Guerrero, Mexico.

Garcia, who was married and had two children, had traveled to the U.S. with his brother-in-law in hope of finding a better-paying job, relatives said.

A cousin, Victor Garcia, made the identification through a photograph at the San Diego County coroner’s office Tuesday.

Zenaido Garcia was struck and killed by a car shortly before 7 p.m. when he and three other men attempted to dash across the freeway in an effort to avoid the Border Patrol checkpoint, according to Miguel Pano, the dead man’s brother-in-law.

Pano, who also was struck by a car but suffered only minor injuries, did not see Zenaido Garcia get hit and did not get an opportunity to identify the body. Pano returned to Mexico on Monday.

Zenaido Garcia’s family is trying to have the body sent back to Guerrero, where Zenaido Garcia was born, said Victor Garcia.