Family searching for answers after man killed in same Baldwin Park shooting that left police officer dead
Darius Wong, a father of two, dropped his daughters, wife and sister-in-law off outside the front door of a family party in Baldwin Park on Saturday so he could park their car down the street. For reasons that are still unclear to his family, Wong never made it to the party.
He was instead shot dead on the street, and now the family says they're seeking justice.
Wong, 43 of Hacienda Heights, was the man killed on Filhurst Avenue in Baldwin Park, which led to more tragedy just minutes later. After finding Wong lying on the sidewalk at about 7:12 p.m., a neighbor called the police. Members of the Baldwin Park Police Department arrived and found Wong dead.
In the next few moments, the officers encountered a suspect, who authorities say was armed with a rifle. A gun battle ensued, leading to two officers and the suspect being shot.
One of the officers, later identified by officials as Samuel Riveros, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Another officer, Anthony Pimentel, was briefly hospitalized.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department identified the suspect as 22-year-old Eduardo Roberto Medina-Berumen. He was also wounded and remained hospitalized as of Monday, but he could face two murder charges upon his release.
It's not yet clear what motive Medina-Berumen could have had when he allegedly shot and killed Wong and Riveros.
When speaking with KCAL News, the family of Wong alleged Medina-Berumen got in a dispute over a parking spot with another guest of the party Wong was attending, although he wasn't involved. They say Wong was shot in the back, unclear of the situation.
"Darius left this world far too soon and in the most innocent of ways — without truly knowing what was happening," Wong's brother Victor Vuong wrote in an online fundraiser.
His family called him a "hardworking man who cared deeply for his family," which includes two daughters who are 3 and 5 years old.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office said charges against Medina-Berumen were set to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
