A teen was arrested in the shooting of a California war veteran over the weekend after an army veteran had just recently returned from Afghanistan.
Vincent Estrada, 18, of Sylmar, was arrested Tuesday and was charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Francisco Garcia, according to an LAPD statement, obtained by the CBS News. His bail was set at $1 million.
Francisco Garcia, 21, was walking along a street with friends early on Sunday morning during a homecoming party thrown for him by his girlfriend when a man got out of a car, smashed a beer bottle on the ground and began screaming at Garcia, police said.
The man returned to one of the vehicles, got a handgun and shot Garcia, police said. The suspect fled and Garcia was declared dead at the scene.
"The ironies are obvious," LAPD Lieutenant Paul Vernon said in a statement on Sunday. "To survive as a soldier in an overseas conflict, only to be killed in your old neighborhood upon your return."
Garcia had returned from Afghanistan over the summer. Police initially described the weekend party as a welcome home gathering for Garcia, but family members told reporters that was not the case.
Detectives have interviewed several witnesses and collected evidence, including several bullet casings. Anyone with any information regarding the shooting is asked to call (818) 838-9948.
