Neighbors, friends and family remembered Justice Lopez outside the home where he lived with a guardian and his siblings.
"He was a funny boy. He could be quiet, he was shy, but when you got to know him, he would talk your ear off," said Justice's uncle Jason Murphy. "He would want to be around you, he would gravitate around you. He'll crack jokes with you. He'll talk to you about school."
The child died of a self-inflicted wound in what the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating as an unintentional shooting. Police said the 5-year-old shot himself after finding a gun inside his home.
He was one of five siblings living with a guardian under the supervision of the county's Department of Children and Family Services.
The incident occurred the afternoon of Nov. 21 at a home in the 2000 block of West 41st Drive in Leimert Park.
A family friend said the gun belonged to a licensed security guard who visited the home and said the gun had been hidden in a closet. LAPD has not confirmed that the security guard's weapon was the one found by the boy.
It's unclear whether any charges will be filed.
A GoFundMe page has been created to raise funds for the child's funeral.