Man Shot and Killed Was Studying to Become Mechanical Engineer

The 22-year-old lived nearby with his parents.

A 22-year-old man studying to become a mechanical engineer was shot and killed in Exposition Park Sunday morning, and police are searching for the gunman.

Sergio Iraheta was standing near his car on the 1400 block of West 35th Street when he was shot just after 3 a.m. Sunday, said Det. Chris Barling of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"I heard it and I woke up and came outside and I heard everybody like 'Sergio! Sergio!'" said Roger Santana, a friend of the victim. "I ran up to his body and was like 'Sergio get up,' and he was gone."

Responding officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division responded and found Iraheta dead in the street, Barling said. Witnesses and neighbors told officers they heard gunshots, and saw a man in his 20s or 30s drive away in a light-colored sedan, headed eastbound on West 35th Street toward Normandie Avenue.

Iraheta lived nearby with his parents on Normandie Avenue. His family members said he was a mechanic with dreams of opening his own shop one day.

His friends and family said he had no enemies.

Barling said detectives were working to determine what led up to the shooting.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or with any information was encouraged to call 800-222-8477.

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