In cities across the US, people continue to die due to senseless gun violence. Los Angeles is no stranger to shootouts and, unfortunately, three more people fell victim to gun fire on Wednesday – leaving two of them dead and their friends and family in mourning. 

The shooting spree took place in South Los Angeles and one of the victims has been identified as a talented scholar full of big dreams. 

Gun violence has struck again in Los Angeles, killing two and injuring a third.

Two men were killed and another injured  in a drive-by shooting into a vehicle in South LA.

When police arrived at the scene, they found two men with multiple gunshot wounds. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene. The second was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. A third man, suffering from a single gunshot wound, was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

Investigators said the two deceased victims were standing outside of a parked car when the suspect’s vehicle drove up and a passenger opened fire, striking both men. The suspect shot the third victim a short distance away as the suspects fled the scene. 

Police are still investigating the motive for the shooting.

One of the victims was Jose Flores Velazquez who was working towards his doctorate at UC Irvine.

Distraught family members who arrived at the scene told KTLA the man who died there was Jose Flores. He and the second man killed, Alfredo Carrera, grew up together six houses apart on the street where they were shot.

Carrera, meanwhile, was about to become a first-time father with his girlfriend, his aunt Michelle Garcia said.

The baby shower was set for Saturday, Garcia added.

Family said Carrera had been shot at least once in his back.

Investigators have yet to release information on the suspects and declined to release a description of the vehicle involved. The relatives say they have no idea who would want to target the men.

Police say the men were victims of a drive by shooting.

A 911 caller told officials a vehicle drove up and the passenger pulled out a handgun. An argument ensued, then shots rang out, said Lt. Derrick Alfred.

It appears that they had driven up and were saying goodbye outside the car to each other when the car drove up (and) some words were exchanged,” Rubenstein said. “Somebody from inside the suspect vehicle fired multiple rounds, striking both the men.”

Velazquez was a nationally recognized scholar who eventually wanted to work for NASA.

Flores was a physics doctoral student at UC Irvine and had his sights set on a job at NASA, a family member told KTLA.

“He was one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met,” said a former sister-in-law at the scene who asked not to be named.

Many took to social media to share their shock and died about the loss of such an accomplished young man who was full of dreams.

While fellow grad students shared in their disbelief.

People who knew Velazquez have been sharing memories and talking about what a kind and caring person he was. They also talk about his many talents, skills, and dreams – of which, he had many.

If you’d like to support Velazquez’ family during this time, they have a GoFundMe page setup here. 

It’s easy to tell this story in one sentence: August 6 saw legendary Latino director Guillermo del Toro awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But, there’s so much more to this story than meets the eye. We did a deep dive to flesh out the man, the myth, and the legend that is Guillermo del Toro, and what got him to that point a few days ago, where he gave an iconic acceptance speech to a crowd of supporters.

The man.

To start with: just who is this guy? October 9, 1964 saw Guillermo del Toro Gómez born in Guadalajara, Jelisco, Mexico. He clearly knew what he wanted to do with his life from a young age – when del Toro was eight years old he began tinkering with his father’s Super 8 camera, making short films featuring the murders of his mother and brothers, among other things. The years passed, and he eventually studied special effects and makeup under the tutelage of special-effects artist, Dick Smith.

Most likely these experiences influenced Guillermo del Toro’s interest in depicting horror and fantasy scenes in his work. And what is his work, you ask? Well, if you’ve been living under a rock you probably haven’t heard of films the likes of The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim, Pan’s Labrynth, Hellboy, or the Blade franchise. Okay but seriously, you should have heard of at least one of these movies, people.

The myth.

Okay, it’s a bit of an exaggeration to use the term “myth”, but suffice to say that del Toro is one hell of a storyteller and just generally a massive contributor to the industry – after all, that’s what got him the star on Hollywood Boulevard. To put it in perspective, each year there are approximately 200 nominations submitted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame selection committee. In order to even be considered, nominees must have a minimum of five years experience in their industry, in addition to having a history of “charitable contributions.” In the end, only 20 to 24 people are actually awarded a star. If there’s anything that says Guillermo del Toro’s officially arrived, it’s his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Many took to social media to highlight just how much del Toro truly deserved this recognition.

So what did Mr. del Toro do when giving his acceptance speech last Tuesday? He began with a simple “gracias”, and then commended another “great Mexican filmmaker, Issa López” for her talents. From the outset of his speech, del Toro foregrounded his Hispanic background, and showed support for his contemporaries. “I am Mexican … and I am an immigrant,” he said shortly afterwards. “Right now, we are in a moment of great fear … and great division. That’s why fear is used. It’s used to divide us. It’s used to tell us that we’re all different and we shouldn’t trust each other. And these lies make us easier to control, and make it easier to hate each other. But the antidote to that is to come together.” 

The legend.

“As a Mexican, receiving this star is a gesture and no gesture right now can be banal or simple.” del Toro continued. “This is very important this is happening right now because I can tell to all of you, all immigrants from every nation, that you should believe in the possibilities and not the obstacles. Do not believe the lies they tell about us. Believe in the stories you have inside and believe that we all can make a difference and we all have stories to tell and we all can contribute to the art and the craft and the world in any way we see fit.”

Most were so happy to see him represent his Mexicanidad as he accepted his star on the Walk of Fame.

And there you have it. What’s made Guillermo del Toro so legendary is not just his work, but his awareness around the power and influence of the media we consume – especially in an era where white supremacism has snaked its way into the community, and into politics. He knew that his award was not just for himself, but for the immigrant, Hispanic community. After all, representation matters! It shows people of color that they too are deserving of success and having their stories told. And it also reminds the wider community about the great contributions people of color and immigrants still do make in today’s America.