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Man Dies From Wounds in Christmas Shooting

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A 24-year-old man shot while viewing neighborhood holiday light displays Christmas Day with his wife and 2-year-old son has died. Detectives say they will seek murder charges against his alleged killer.

Francisco Javier Hernandez was pronounced dead at 10:29 a.m. Sunday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday. Hernandez had been hospitalized since Dec. 25, when a gunman identified by police as Carlos Alvaro Beltrani Merino, 32, of Sylmar, allegedly shot him in the head and abdomen.

Police believe Merino has fled to Mexico, said Det. Rick Swanston of the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division.

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Records show that Hernandez had filed a crime report in April, claiming that Merino owed him $1,300 in a dispute over auto insurance, Swanston said.

The two apparently ran into each other at the lights display in an area called Candy Cane Lane near Calvert Street and Lubao Avenue. The men got into a heated argument, which led to a scuffle, Swanston said.

Merino--who was accompanied by his girlfriend, family and friends--then pulled a handgun and shot Hernandez before leaving the scene, police said.

An ex-convict, Merino was unemployed at the time of the shooting, Swanston said. He is described as 5-feet-5, with brown hair and brown eyes and weighing 150 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call (818) 756-8546 weekdays or (213) 485-2504 after hours.

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