Memorial held for 3-year-old Franklin Ros who was killed in Compton 1 year ago

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A memorial vigil was held in Compton Sunday afternoon for a 3-year-old boy who was murdered a year ago.

The family of Franklin Ros, who was shot and killed on Jan. 20, 2018, said they do not want the toddler forgotten. The family is from San Diego, and Franklin's aunt now lives in Long Beach.

She said it's been hard to deal with her nephew's loss. Her brother, Franklin's father, went out to San Diego to spend time at the child's gravesite.

It happened in the parking lot of Nate's Market on McKinley and Alondra avenues. The manager said he heard gunshots that day. Police at the time said the shooting was gang related.

Authorities also said Franklin's mother's boyfriend had gotten into some sort of argument with someone in the parking lot, and shots rang out. As Franklin's mother and her boyfriend drove off, neither initially realized Franklin had been shot.

"Justice will be sought soon. Nobody would ever imagine burying a child, especially a 3-year-old who just barely blew his birthday candle out. That's the last thing I remember of him - blowing his birthday candle and being happy to get a fire truck for his birthday," aunt Socheata Ros said.

The family said they want a plaque set up in Franklin's memory in front of the business, which just came under new management. The manager at the store seemed to be OK with the idea of a plaque for Franklin.

During the memorial, the Ros family was joined by other parents who said they'd lost a child or teenager to gun violence and all stressed that addressing gangs and gun violence are two separate issues.