$20K Reward Offered For Info In Slaying Of 4-Year-Old In Altadena

ALTADENA (CBSLA.com) — The family of a 4-year-old boy who was fatally shot in Altadena pleaded Thursday for help to find the shooter who killed him.

Salvador Esparza III of Monrovia was shot at about 10:40 p.m. July 5 while visiting family friends in the 300 block of West Figueroa Drive, and he later died at a hospital. Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the shooter.

A 27-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting.

"If anybody knows information regarding this, please, please, please don't be scared to talk," the boy's mother, Carol Salvador, said. "Please just talk to the detectives, talk to somebody about it. I really want justice for my son."

Salvador was caught in the crossfire of what was believed to be a gang-related shooting. The other man who was wounded, a family acquaintance, and the live-in boyfriend of Salvador's mother were the shooter's targets.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the sheriff's department at (323) 890-5500 or, anonymously, Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)