Raul Cervantes was 32 years old when detectives say he was killed just a couple days before Christmas in a Dollar Tree parking lot.
[Ads /]
"While Raul was seated in the driver's seat, an individual approached him on the driver's side and shot him in cold blood," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference Thursday.
Luna says Cervantes was parked while waiting for friends to go on an off-roading trip - one of his favorite hobbies. However, nothing was taken from him.
"His wallet, his cellphone, his truck and the off-road vehicle he was towing were all still there," Luna added.
The three suspects in his death haven't been seen since the 2020 shooting. They are an unidentified gunman depicted in a police sketch, JaMaree Boone - person of interest - and the suspected getaway driver who was seen at a gas station next door.
The suspect's car was a light grey-colored Kia Forte.
"The picture taken from a surveillance video that shows a visible and unique Ace of Spades tattoo on the top of the suspect's right hand," Luna said.
[Ads /]
The sheriff went on to read a letter from the victim's family, which owns a custom wheels and tire shop in Hawthorne.
"At the time of his death, his children were only 4 and 9 years old, and they are now struggling to cope with the loss of their father," Luna read. "It has been over three years since his passing and the grief is still very real for all of us. As a family, we are urging the public to come forward with any information that can lead us to finding the person or people who are responsible for Raul's death."
The sheriff believes there are people who witnessed the crime, people who know something or heard something - the key part that's been missing all this time.
"There are times we reach dead ends and there are times when information comes up. We are at a point today where we need the public's help," Luna said.
Anyone who has information call the sheriff's department or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1 (800) 222-TIPS.