Authorities seek help in solving 2020 Norwalk homicide

NORWALK – Authorities Thursday appealed for the public’s help to solve the 2020 killing of a man who was gunned down in the parking lot of a business in Norwalk.

Raul Cervantes Corona, 32, was wounded about 6:45 p.m. Dec. 18, 2020 as he sat in the driver’s seat of his truck outside a Dollar Tree store in the 10900 block of Rosecrans Avenue, where he was waiting for friends to arrive for an “off-road vehicle outing,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“An individual approached him on the driver’s side and shot him in cold blood,” Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Thursday morning at a tire shop in Hawthorne that had been owned by Corona.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, Corona had been shot in the head.

“Unfortunately, he died at the scene,” Luna said. “The shooter fled in a light grayish-color Kia Forte that was waiting nearby. It is very important to note that nothing was taken from Raul. His wallet, his cell phone, his truck, and the off-road vehicle he was towing were all still there.”

Luna said security video showed people driving in the area of the crime scene that night.

Luna displayed a security image of a man at a gas station before the crime, who is believed to have been the getaway driver. The man had a “visible and unique ace of spades tattoo” on the top of his right hand, Luna said.

Luna also displayed a drawing, based on a witness account, of a man believed to have been the gunman. And he displayed a photo of a man he said was being sought as a “person of interest” in the investigation, identified as 23- year-old JaMaree Boone.

“We believe he may have information regarding the senseless murder of Raul,” Luna said.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.