Falling palm tree kills East Los Angeles man

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man was killed when a palm tree fell on top of him during his morning walk in East Los Angeles on Saturday.

The incident happened in the 3900 block of Dozier Street around 8:30 a.m.

Relatives identified the man as 49-year-old Tony Calderon. They said he was out for his morning walk and stopped to say hello to a neighbor when he was struck by the tree moments later.

Calderon was trapped underneath the debris and downed power lines. Firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene.

His own mother was among those who heard the crash.

"We heard a boom and I ran outside and I saw all the neighbors come and they were all trying to pull him, get him," said Nellie Mora, the victim's mother.

Calderon's family was on their way to a funeral for another family member when they got the news that he had died.

The woman who lives in the home where the tree fell and other residents say the tree has been a concern for a long time. The woman said she could not afford to pay for the tree to be trimmed and reported it to the city. She believes the city should have had the tree trimmed.

Neighbors described Calderon as a very popular, friendly man.