reward jumps – The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved increasing a reward to $85,000 for information in the decade-old killing of 4-year-old Salvador “Chavita” Esparza, shot on a relative’s porch in Altadena on July 5, 2016.
A decade after a man walked up to a home and began firing on a porch in Altadena, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to raise the reward for information that could solve the case—pushing it to $85,000.
The increase came as board members unanimously approved reinstating and boosting the reward by $10,000. Juana Esparza. the grandmother of the 4-year-old victim. said in a news release that the family is still living with the absence left by the shooting and is urging anyone with information to come forward.
“We hope that with this reward reinstated, someone out there is willing to come forward and give us answers that can bring justice and peace to my family,” Esparza said. “If you know something — anything — we beg you to come forward and give us closure.”
Salvador “Chavita” Esparza, age 4, was killed in Altadena on July 5, 2016. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Salvador was shot when a man approached a home in the 500 block of Figueroa Drive and began shooting at people on the porch. The gunman fled in a dark-colored car.
At the time, authorities believed the target might have been a 27-year-old gang member who was at the home. That man was injured in the attack but survived.
When the investigation began in August 2016, the reward was set at $20,000. Over the last decade. the Board of Supervisors has increased the reward in increments as investigators continued to search for clues. In the most recent update, the reward increased by $10,000, according to the county motion.
The Board of Supervisors said the higher reward reflects a renewed effort to generate leads in the homicide investigation and bring justice to the Esparza family.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement, “Little Salvador’s life was taken in a senseless act of violence a decade ago, but our commitment to seeking justice for him and his family remains unchanged.”
The county’s action comes with the family still waiting on answers tied to the single, violent moment that cut Salvador’s life short on that porch in July 2016.
Altadena Salvador Esparza cold-case reward L.A. County Board of Supervisors homicide investigation July 5 2016