Victim's Neighbor Sought in Los Alamitos Shooting Death

A man was sought Monday in the shooting death of a neighbor in Los Alamitos.

Eleazar Vargas, 41, was described by police as a person of interest in the investigation into the shooting. Officers responded to a call of shots heard at 5:05 p.m. Sunday near Pine and Catalina streets, Los Alamitos police Capt. Sean Connolly said.

The shooting victim died at the scene.

Tammy Boyken ran from her home to Catalina Street. She was the first to try to rescue the victim, identified by neighbors as Sangju Sung.

"I just tried to tell him to hang in there and told him somebody was making some calls," Boyken said. "He was still alive at that point."

She placed flowers at the spot where Sung died. His landlord told NBC4 he went by the nickname "S.J.," was a father of two and one of the nicest people he'd ever met.

Witnesses said the gunfire started in an alley, then spilled out to the street. The bullets struck a parked car and a building next to it.

Officers staked out Vargas's home all day. They found the truck he was driving, but not him.

Neighbors said Vargas is a married father of three.

Members of Sung's church prayed for his family Monday evening.

"We care about your wife and kids," said Jim Pilkenton, his neighbor.

Neighbors also called Vargas a "ticking time bomb" when it came to anger issues.

"What's been done is not right but running from it is going to make it that much worse," Pilkenton siad.