Police are searching for a girl with dyed red hair who lured El Camino Real High School soccer goalie Francisco Javier Rodriguez Jr., 17, into the front yard of his Winnetka home where he was gunned down.
Officers were executing search warrants throughout Friday evening, but would not reveal any details.
Meanwhile, his parents are trying to fulfill his wish to be buried next to his best friend, Chatsworth High soccer star in Chatsworth's . His father, just returned from a trip to his native Mexico, was working to arrange his son's burial. The son was known as "Panchito," Spanish for Francisco.
Romero was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle on DeSoto Avenue last April. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Tuesday for , who is charged with vehicular manslaughter and other charges stemming from the accident. Her father, , is accused of being an accessory after the fact.
"This was not a random shooting,'' LAPD Detective David Peteque told City News Service.
"This was definitely targeted toward a specific individual.''
The motive for the Wednesday shooting on the 6900 block of Cozycroft Avenue was not immediately determined, Officer Karen Rayner said.
Police, who announced no arrests as of Friday night, described the shooter as a Latina in her late teens or early 20s, about 5 feet 1 inch and 120 pounds. Her hair may have been dyed red or auburn, and she was wearing a dark sweater, police said.
Neighbor Jose Meza told ABC7 Francisco's mother answered the door and "she said it was a girl who came to the door. And he came out, he wasn't even wearing shoes, he was wearing socks. He must've went up to the car, they shot him, and he turned around and took steps toward his house, and he landed right on this front yard."
An R.I.P. Francisco Rodriguez fan page was started on Facebook.
Anyone who can assist in the investigation is asked to call 887-LAPD-24-7.
For additional details, see:
- Video and report by Melissa MacBride, Miriam Hernandez and Amy Powell on KABC7.
- Photo gallery: El Camino Real soccer goalkeeper Francisco Rodriguez shot to death
- High School Soccer Player Killed in Winnetka, Detectives Need the Public’s Help to Identify the Suspect(s)
- A knock, three gunshots and a mysterious slaying in Winnetka
- El Camino Real plays through the pain
- Family Seeks Answers in Teen Shooting
-- City News Service contributed to this report.
