Family asks for information in Westlake District church shooting death

WESTLAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A young widow asks for help to find the alleged gang members who fatally shot her husband. He and another man were shot in a graffiti incident outside the family's church in the Westlake District Sunday night.

Through their sorrow, the family of Andres Ordonez spoke at a news conference to ask for the public's help in finding his killer.

According to the LAPD, Ordonez and another member of the church saw a woman spraying graffiti on a wall outside a church while service was in session inside.

Detectives say the men asked her to stop. A gunman came out of a red 4-door compact car parked across the street and shot Ordonez and the other church member. Ordonez was killed. The other man was wounded.

"I think they're cowards," said LAPD Detective Jeff Cortina. "I find it really unfortunate. If they were that tough as gangsters, why'd they use a gun?"

"It really breaks your heart to see and to know that he was murdered in cold blood," said LAPD Captain Steven Ruiz. "I can assure you that we will capture the suspects responsible for this."

Ordonez's widow, Ana, says she is relying on her faith.

"We only have asked God mercy for them, because we don't have nothing against them, really," said Ana Ordonez at the news conference. "We know that they weren't going straight at my husband because they didn't know him at all. But really, we don't. I personally don't hold nothing, nothing against them."

Ordonez was 25 years old. Besides his wife, who is three months pregnant, he also leaves behind a one-and-a-half-year-old son.

Ana Mendez says she's tried to explain to her son what happened to his father.

"He did ask for his dad recently, just yesterday," said Mendez. "I just tried to explain to him that his dad is in heaven. I just point up there. The only thing he does is look up and say to his daddy, 'Bye bye.'"

If you have information related to the crime, contact the Los Angeles Police Dept. at (877) LAPD-24-7. The Los Angeles City Council is offering a $50,000 reward in the case.

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shooting, homicide investigation, murder, lapd, los angeles news, sid garcia

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