Reward Reestablished in Fatal Shooting of Altadena Boy

Salvador “Chavita” Esparza, 4, was shot to death in the doorway of his home in Altadena on July 5, 2016. A $20,000 reward was renewed in October of 2020 for information leading to the capture and conviction of his killer or killers. (Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved and increased a reward in the case of a 4-year-old boy killed in a 2016 gang-related shooting in Altadena.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger asked her colleagues to reestablish and increase the reward from $20,000 to $25,000 for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the gunman who shot and killed 4-year-old Salvador Esparza on July 5, 2016.

The boy, who had been shot in the head, was found lying on his front porch on the 300 block of West Figueroa Driveat about 10:40 that evening. A 27-year-old gunshot victim who survived was also found on the porch and taken to Huntington Hospital.

Witnesses said the gunman was chasing both victims when he fired his weapon, striking both victims before running south on Olive Avenue. Sheriff’s investigators believe the suspect is a gang member and the shooting was gang-related. Authorities said the child was not an intended target.

The reward, established in 2016 expired on Jan. 24 and will now be available for at least the next 90 days.

A $15,000 reward was also established in the shooting of Gabriella Deharo Perez, a 29-year-old woman who was shot and killed in West Covina, and a $10,000 reward was established for information leading to a conviction in the case of 28-year-old Rodney Donaldson Jr., who was gunned down in Compton.

Anyone with information on the shootings is urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).