$10,000 Reward Offered For Info In Shooting Death Of Inglewood Dad
INGLEWOOD (CBS) — Investigators offered a $10,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed a 28-year-old man in Inglewood as he shielded his 8-year-old son from gunfire.
Fredrick Martin, 28, was shot about 7 p.m. on April 3 in the 3200 block of West 109th Street and died at a hospital.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports Inglewood Mayor James Butts announced the reward at an emotional City Hall news conference attended by Martin's family.
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"Fred Martin was a loving father, a college graduate, an employee of Kaiser, a homeowner," Butts said. "And he died a hero, protecting his son from individuals that walked up and fired into him in his garage as he was doing things a homeowner would do."
Police officers arriving at the small, single-family home that night found that Martin had shoved his son to the pavement when gunfire erupted, and he took bullets to the abdomen and upper body. The boy had a minor graze wound.
Martin's best friend, Joey Hickman, was shot in his ankle.
Inglewood police Lt. James Madia offered his condolences to the family members.
"This senseless and tragic act has had a profound impact on many people in the community, not the least of which are our own personnel, who have been involved in the investigation," Madia said. "We have mustered a significant amount of resources to try to bring these folks to justice."
According to police, it was one of three unrelated shootings in Inglewood that night.
"Fredrick Martin was killed shielding (his) son from gunfire," family spokeswoman Jasmyne Cannick said earlier, adding that his family is now "on a mission to find his killers."
According to the victims' families, neither Martin nor Hickman was affiliated with gangs.
Jaaye Person-Lynn, a high school friend of Martin, told the Los Angeles Times that there had been recent problems between gangs in the neighborhood, and Martin could have been mistakenly targeted.
Martin's widow, Amanda, is expecting their second child.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call (310) 412-5246 or the anonymous tipline at (888) 412-7463.
(©2012 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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.)
