Friends and family mourn hotel employee gunned down in South LA

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Manny Alvarado was just 25 years old. Friends who worked with him for years at a Hollywood hotel say they watched him grow into a kind and loving man.

They say he was full of life, hard working and even thinking about going back to school.

He never got that chance.

Los Angeles police said Alvarado was about five blocks from his home in South Los Angeles when a dark color SUV pulled up next to his car and shot him near 81st Street and Western Avenue early Monday.

Alvarado, 25, was shot when he was returning home from a friend's house, according to his family.

Co-workers said Alvarado was part of a tight-knit group of friends.

"All the girls at work, he'd always buy them flowers. He had get gifts for everybody," Alvarado's friend Scott Gabelein said.

Authorities said the motive was still unknown, but it appeared Alvarado was a random victim.

"No gang affiliations, he was just a good kid in the wrong place at the wrong time," Gabelein said.

Alvarado's family said he was one of four children and was especially close to his mother and 13-year-old sister.

"You've never seen that kind of grief until you've seen a mother have to mourn her child that way," Gabelein said. "He loved his little sister. She was a part of his life he enjoyed sharing with people."

Alvarado's killer still remains at large. If you have any information that could aid detectives in their investigation, you are urged to call the Los Angeles Police Department at (800)222-8477.

A GoFundMe account was set up to help Alvarado's family with funeral expenses. To donate, click here.