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The victim of last week’s shooting at an East LA marijuana dispensary has been identified as a 25-year-old security guard.
Rafael Saldana, who worked at East L.A. Greens at 6170 Whittier Boulevard, was shot and killed during an attempted robbery around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, Lt. Daniel Vizcarra of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau said. Ta. He was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Authorities said the two suspects, both described only as men, entered the store and attempted to rob it. Gunfire erupted, and a security guard at the pharmacy was shot in the chest.
The suspects then left in a dark-colored SUV, authorities said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Vizcarra said.
Los Mazariegos, who owns a bakery a few stores down the road, said he sometimes bakes until midnight, but he didn’t stay until late the night of the shooting. When he arrived at work last Monday morning, he said he saw the plaza’s parking lot filled with law enforcement vehicles. This was a far cry from his idea of a quiet shopping center.
A memorial has been set up outside Rafael “Johnny” Saldana’s workplace. Photo: Andrew Lopez.
“It’s always cold here. All I really see is homeless people and people doing graffiti. It’s unfortunate what happened,” Mazariegos said.
Saldana said she would come to his bakery to buy bread, and she remembers him as a quiet and kind person.
Another business owner at the square, who declined to be named citing privacy concerns, said the shooting was shocking because the shopping center is generally calm. He said different pharmacies are popping up and disappearing in the same location. Some reopened the same day after being raided by law enforcement.
“People who go to pharmacies come and go; [past businesses] They are sometimes attacked. It’s been going on forever,” he said, noting that he has seen more pot shops popping up along Whittier Boulevard recently.
It is unclear whether East LA Greens is an unlicensed dispensary. Searches on Google and Yelp show results for East LA Greens, but no listing for the business can be found on the Bureau of Cannabis Control website, a government site that lists licensed cannabis retailers.
On September 24th, LA County issued a motion requiring online search engines to promote only legally licensed shops in their search results. The county claims illegal stores are undermining legitimate businesses and evading taxes and regulations from the cannabis industry.
Carlos Ramirez, a regular at the pharmacy, said he often drives from Bell Gardens to East L.A. Greens because the deals are unparalleled. He never thought the plaza was a dangerous place to buy cannabis products.
He rode his scooter to the plaza and stopped to admire the candles placed outside the store in memory of Saldana.
“He was a nice guy and I just feel bad. I hope this place doesn’t have to close,” Ramirez said.
The search for the suspect continues. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
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