‘The violence has to stop,’ Alhambra mayor says at vigil for slain deputy
Mourners spoke of community, unity and preventing violence as dozens gathered for a vigil Thursday evening, June 13, in front of the Alhambra Jack in the Box where days earlier a man fatally shot an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.
Deputy Joseph Gilbert Solano, 50, died of his injuries Wednesday at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center, following what investigators believe was a random shooting.
“Really there are no borders when it comes to violence,” Alhambra Mayor Adele Andrade-Stadler said. “The violence has to stop; mental health has to be addressed, and this” — she said, gesturing to the crowd — “is exactly proof of what our communities have to do to keep everybody safe.”
The mourners included Solano’s family members, law enforcement officers and activists.
“It’s been a heavy week. It’s really heavy to come here. And just to see the support from everyone, it means the world,” said one of Solano’s sons, Matthew. “My dad, he would really be honored.”
Julieanne Loza, Solano’s longtime girlfriend, remembered him as “a ray of sunshine.”
“He just radiated positivity. He was very reserved, very private. We’re kind of yin and yang,” she said.
The past few days, she said, have been a roller coaster of emotions.
“Right now I’m completely stoic – I don’t know how to act. I’m already cried out. I’m just trying to process it all,” she said.
Tina Yamashiro, one of the members of Survivors of Murdered Children who attended, said. “We’re here to raise awareness of senseless violence in the community and surrounding communities … It’s to show respect for Solano and his family.”
Mayor speaking to family members who are here, including son and step-daughter: “Your brother was our brother taking care of our mother, at Jiffy Lube making sure her car was able to run. We are you—community. We are here for you.” pic.twitter.com/5u956eCy7F
— Jonah Valdez (@Jonahmv) June 14, 2019
On Monday, Solano was in street clothes grabbing food at the Jack and the Box on 2531 West Valley Blvd. as he got his mother’s car serviced at a nearby auto shop. At about 5:45 p.m., while Solano waited for his order at the counter, a man walked up to Solano and shot him in the head. The man ran off, got into a Kia Sorrento SUV and drove away.
The next day, authorities arrested the suspect in the shooting, Rhett Mckenzie Nelson, 30, of St. George, Utah in Long Beach. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Nelson on Thursday with the murders of Solano and a Los Angeles man, Dmitry Alekseyevich Kolstov, 31, who was gunned down in the Newton area less than an hour before the Alhambra shooting.