Missing LAPD officer named person of interest in murder of Ontario man

POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A first-year Los Angeles Police Department officer has been identified as a person of interest in the murder of a 23-year-old man in Pomona.

According to authorities, Henry Solis, 27, was off-duty when an Ontario man was killed Friday morning.

At 3:29 a.m., the Pomona Police Department received multiple 911 calls on reports of gun shots heard in the area of Third and Main streets.

Officers responded to the area and found 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez Jr. suffering from gunshot wounds to the lower torso. He was transported to USC Medical Center where he later died.

A preliminary investigation indicated that the victim and suspect were engaged in a fight before the shooting occurred.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic man, and an unknown colored compact car was last seen leaving the area after the shooting.

The family of Rodriguez has set up a Go Fund Me account to help pay for his funeral expenses. The account is at gofundme.com/oqhq24.

His cousin Barbara Lopez said the family is wondering how this could have happened.

"We're a big family of faith, and we know that God does things for certain reasons, but we always have our questions of why," she said. "So I guess the best way that I think [his parents] are handling it is, I would say, better than most. Of course they have their moments, which I've caught mom and dad breaking down, but they actually look a bit more at ease knowing that they have a person of interest."

Solis' whereabouts are unknown and authorities have reason to believe that he knows police want to speak with him.

He is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds. His last known address is in Pomona, police said.

He drives a silver or gray 2013 Volkswagen Jetta with the California license 7FAS527. Authorities are not giving any details on how they identified Solis as a person of interest.

Solis graduated from the police academy in November 2014 and was assigned to the Devonshire Division. He did not show up for work Saturday morning, according to authorities.

Anyone with more information on the incident is asked to call the Pomona Police Department's Detective Bureau at (909) 620-2085. Those wishing to remain anonymous may contact "Crime Stoppers" at (800) 222-8477 or the "We-Tip" hotline at (800) 782-7463.