Police and Family Baffled by Slaying of College Student

Police and relatives alike struggled Monday to understand why an 18-year-old college student with a job and no known gang connections wound up dead of a gunshot wound over the weekend.

Daniel Garcia Lara, a Ventura College criminology student who told his father as recently as Friday that he wanted to become a Port Hueneme police officer, was shot late Saturday outside the Elks Lodge here and died at St. John’s Regional Medical Center a short time later.

Garcia Lara was remembered Monday as a hard-working, ambitious young man who liked earning a paycheck to help his family. He had worked as a maintenance apprentice for the city of Port Hueneme housing authority for the past two years.

“He was a very sincere young man, very interested in earning money to help his parents support his family,” said Tina Esparza, who hired Garcia Lara in January 1994. “Even at that age, he was very responsible.”

Oxnard police Sgt. Cliff Troy said Garcia Lara was one of several hundred guests Saturday night at the quinceanera--a coming-of-age party for 15-year-old girls--of a family friend.

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From scant information provided by witnesses, Troy said that police are focusing on three young men who apparently tried to crash the party an hour or two before the shooting.

Garcia Lara “was there attending the party, and apparently some other young men--presumably some gangbangers--had tried to get into the party,” Troy said. “It’s still kind of sketchy, though. The two incidents may not be directly related.”

Three young men, described as Latino teenagers wearing dark clothing, approached Garcia Lara as he was leaving the party. One of the suspects fired several shots, striking Garcia Lara once in the chest.

Absent any motive for the attack, investigators are proceeding on the assumption that Garcia Lara was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There is no indication that Garcia Lara was involved in gangs. “Nothing that we have indicates that,” Troy said. “He’s not in any of our files as even being an associate.”

Still, few witnesses have offered help to investigators.

“There were several hundred people at the party, so I know there were people in the parking lot when this thing went down,” Troy said. “But so far, we don’t have a lot of people coming forward on this one.”

Garcia Lara was a teenager active in his community. In addition to his work for the Port Hueneme Housing Authority, he enjoyed music, sports, dancing and working on his car, his friends said.

“Daniel was a leader among leaders,” said Jaime Zendejas, a program director at the Port Hueneme Boys & Girls Club, where Garcia Lara practiced boxing and other sports. “Staff-wise, everybody is upset, angry and in disbelief.”

Garcia Lara is survived by his parents, Mario and Dora Lara of Port Hueneme; two brothers, Diego Omar and Eduardo Lara, also of Port Hueneme; his grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

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A rosary service will be recited at 7 p.m. today at Garcia Mortuary Chapel in Oxnard. Visitation will be until 10 p.m. today at the mortuary.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, also in Oxnard. Interment will follow in Santa Clara Catholic Cemetery.

Zendejas vowed not to let Garcia Lara’s contribution to his community pass without recognition. He spent part of Monday planning a memorial to the young man.

“I don’t want this kid to be just another statistic,” he said. “We’re going to get some sort of plaque and set it up in the boxing room so that other people will remember him.

“Whoever did this really took a lot of dreams away,” Zendejas said. “From us, from him, his family. It’s a big blow to all of us.”