Los Angeles: On August 15, 2004, at approximately 1:30 a.m., North Hollywood Patrol Officers responded to an Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Shots Fired call in the 5200 block of Hermitage Avenue, in Valley Village. Upon arrival officers found the victim, Diego Perez, a 27 year-old resident of the apartment complex, lying on his living room floor, suffering from multiple shotgun wounds to his upper torso. Rescue personnel responded to the scene and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The investigation revealed that a suspect described as a male Hispanic, approximately 22-30 years of age, and possibly a shaved head had confronted the victim as he stood in front of his own apartment and shot him multiple times for no apparent reason. The suspect also fired several shotgun blasts into the victim’s vehicle, a 1998 BMW, which was parked in front of the building. The suspect drove away from the scene in a 1995 to 1999 dark colored Toyota Camry. No license plate number is available.

The shooting does not appear to be gang related and may possibly have resulted from a personal issue between the victim and suspect.

The Los Angeles Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance to identify and locate the suspect responsible for this crime. Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Hollywood Detectives at 818-623-4071, during normal business hours. On weekends or after hours, contact the toll free 24-hour number at the Detective Information desk at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).

This news release was prepared by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.