3 arrested after 6-year-old Azusa boy is killed

The 6-year-old boy was known for playing in the driveway of his Azusa home, where behind a tall, ornate fence it seemed nothing could bring him harm.

“That’s all he ever did,” said his father, Jesus Valencia. “Play and play, inside and outside.”

On Friday, as Jessie Valencia chased around a remote-control car, his mother, who stood nearby, was startled by what she thought was an explosion at 3:47 p.m.

A patrol officer driving a few hundred feet away at Azusa Avenue and Roland Street knew immediately what that explosive sound was: a gunshot.

As the officer drove toward the Valencia family’s home, he found the mother in a panic, carrying the boy in her arms.

“The mother said that one of the boy’s toys had exploded,” said Azusa Police Department spokesman Lt. Mike Bertelsen.

Police soon found out the boy had been shot. He was taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, where he later was pronounced dead.

Authorities have arrested two men and a woman on suspicion of murder: Richard Gomez, 21, of Azusa; Mathew Loza, 20, of West Covina; and Noemi Poblano, 19, of Los Angeles. Each was being held in lieu of $1-million bail.

Neighbors said they believe at least one of the suspects lives in a house across the street from the Valencia family, where police made the arrests after talking to witnesses .

Police said they could not discuss whether the shooting was intentional or accidental or whether the child was struck by a bullet meant for someone else. They also would not say where the bullet hit Jessie.

Bertelsen said the shooting was not thought to be gang- related.

“We do believe we have the people responsible for this incident and the weapon that was used,” he said. “It’s a very tragic situation.”

The case will be referred to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office Tuesday.

The arrests brought little relief to relatives as they poured into the family’s home, filling the driveway and manicured lawn.

Jesus Valencia sat in his garage, his eyes red, surrounded by family members. Early that morning, neighbors saw him somberly pacing the sidewalk.

Jessie was “a happy, normal boy,” and the oldest of three sons, he said.

“It’s too hard for me to talk about him right now,” Valencia said. “It’s too soon.”

The family requested privacy, turning away much of the media that stopped by the home throughout the day.

Neighbors along the blocks in the southern part of the city spent Saturday trying to make sense of the crime.

Longtime residents described the area as quiet and safe, except for occasional teenage mischief. It is an ethnically diverse nook, with a mix of modestly kept single-story ranch homes.

“Who were these people?” asked Annie Soliz, 37, whose family has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. “And how bad could it have been that they pulled out a gun and shot a 6-year-old?”

After the shooting, Tomas Juarez and dozens of other neighbors crowded around police cars. The 51-year-old was shocked to find out that the victim was the same friendly, chubby-cheeked boy he often saw racing around the yard on his way home from work.

He said he believed the neighbors across the street had moved in no more than six months ago. “That boy was always with his mother or father by his side,” he said. “I don’t see how this could have happened to him.”

esmeralda.bermudez @latimes.com