LASD asks public for help in finding suspect who killed 14-year-old in South LA nearly 2 years ago
Though detectives haven't been able to track down a motive, investigators say the boy might have been mistaken for someone else.
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is asking the public for help in finding the person who shot and killed a 14-year-old boy nearly two years ago, and detectives believe it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Otis Rayjon Williams was shot on July 3, 2020, as he was walking alone through an alley in the Florence-Firestone area near Central Avenue and E. 98th Street.
He was rushed to hospital that night where he later died.
"He was only 14 years old when they took his life walking to the store,'' the teen's mother, Francine Brazil, said during a Wednesday morning news conference led by the sheriff's department.
According to LASD Lt. Derrick Alfred, the suspect was driving a blue 2016-18 Dodge Challenger with a dark stripe on the hood and roof.
In newly-released surveillance video, the shooter is seen pulling up, reaching out the window and firing several rounds, killing Williams. A detailed description of the suspect, however, wasn't available.
WATCH: New video shows moments before teen was shot and killed in South LA
Though detectives haven't been able to track down a motive, Alfred said the boy, who was tall for his age, might have been mistaken for someone else, possibly an adult, in the dark alley.
"Me and my family, we're still mourning,'' Brazil said. "We just can't stop thinking about him, and missing him. He was a good boy, and he was respectful. He respected all his elders, and we just miss him. He was a baby. I have seven kids, he was the baby of the family. ... He was my little buddy, but now he's gone. And I would like to hope the public would help, come forward with any information they have to find my son's killer.''
A reward of up to $10,000 is awaiting approval, Alfred said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.
