Man Is Sought for Questioning in Mayor’s Shooting

Police released a composite sketch Tuesday of a man they want to question in the attempted murder of South Gate Mayor Henry Gonzalez.

The man, described as a Latino male, 20 to 25 years old, about 5-foot-7, was seen acting suspiciously on a City Hall surveillance camera about an hour before Gonzalez was shot as he arrived home after an April 13 council meeting.

South Gate investigators say they only want to question the man and do not consider him a suspect. The surveillance camera shows the man, wearing a gray flannel shirt, black shorts and knee-high white socks, looking at pictures of city officials in the hall outside the council meeting.

“We just want to know why he was at City Hall at the time,” said South Gate Police Lt. Martin Van Lierop.

Van Lierop said a witness to the shooting described the assailant as a young Latino male, 20 to 25 years old, wearing dark clothes. After shooting the mayor in the head, the man ran to a gray four-door Honda that was driven by a second person.

Gonzalez survived the shooting but was hospitalized for more than a week with a superficial head wound. He appeared at a news conference Tuesday before attending a council meeting.