Detectives announced Monday there is a $20K reward being offered for information on the Sept. 15 murder of Irene Gonzalez, a mother of 2, in Los Angeles County.
Gonzalez was working as a prostitute in Lynwood when she was shot and killed, leaving behind an “adult autistic son and one juvenile son,” according to a release from L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
The county sheriff’s department (LASD) says it’s seeking the public’s help in identifying and finding the suspects responsible for Gonzalez’s death, incentivized by the monetary reward established by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 26.
LASD investigators say the fatal shooting was first called into the station around 5:43 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, reporting a gunshot victim on the 12500 block of Oak Street.
According to county officials, Gonzalez was soliciting services as a sex worker earlier that night/early morning when she entered into the front passenger seat of an older model 4-door black sedan with tinted windows and a sunroof.
“After being inside the vehicle for a couple of minutes, she was shot while exiting the vehicle and ran away,” states Supervisor Hahn’s release. “There were no witnesses to the shooting.”
Hahn, who filed the motion to establish the $20K reward, also says in her release that the sedan was parked in front of 12514 Oak Street at the time of the shooting.
After she was shot, Gonzalez purportedly ran southbound from the parked sedan until she collapsed behind a vehicle parked in front of 12522 Oak St.
Officials did not immediately say what time this occurred, but investigators with LASD believe Gonzalez was shot several hours before deputies arrived.
When deputies responded to the 5:43 a.m. call, they were flagged down by a citizen who directed them to where Gonzalez was lying face down, suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso, according to Hahn’s release and LASD.
Paramedics soon arrived and pronounced Gonzalez dead at the scene at 5:55 a.m.
“This was a vicious, close-range shooting, and now there are two sons without the mother they so needed. Solving this crime won’t bring their mom back, but Irene and her loved ones deserve justice, and this violent criminal with no regard for human life belongs behind bars,” said Hahn. “We need the public’s help here. If you saw or may have seen something, please call us. Irene’s sons need you.”
The county and the sheriff’s department ask anyone with information about Gonzalez’s murder to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
To provide information anonymously, call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477) or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
For information regarding the terms of the reward, click here.
