San Diego

Family of Man Killed 10 Years Ago in Oak Park Pleads for Those with Information to Come Forward

Salvador Hernandez’ murder 10 years ago in Oak Park left his family with broken hearts and his toddler son to grow up without a father.

Now 12 years old, Salvador’s son, Angel, is hoping that someone out there with intel on the unsolved crime will bring it to light.

“If anyone has information, please, I am begging you,” Angel pled in front of cameras Friday. “I never knew him that much and he died quickly. Please help.”

Everything Angel knows about his father comes from stories told by his grandmother and aunts, and other relatives who knew Salvador as an adult. His father was killed shortly before Angel's second birthday.

Most of what police know about Salvador’s murder was included in a Crime Stoppers release sent out Friday commemorating the 10-year anniversary of his slaying.

Police say 26-year-old Salvador was with a female friend in a parked car on the 5500 block of Seifert Street at around 3:30 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 16, 2008, when an older model truck pulled alongside them. A passenger opened fire from within, killing Salvador and injuring his friend.

“The best gift he left us was his son,” Salvador’s mother Cathy said. “Angel looks just like him, and it hurts me because my nephew has to grow up without his father.”

“It's been 10 years and not a day goes by that we don't think about him. Please help us. We are begging the public to speak up,” she added.

Crime Stoppers urged anyone with information to call its offices and offered up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

“We want peace,” Salvador’s sister Maria Guillen said. “I'm tired of seeing my family suffering because we don't know what is going on.”

With very few leads in the case and no motive discovered, investigators have had a hard time making progress in Salvador’s case.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293, or call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. You can also visit the Crime Stoppers website for more information on how to send tips anonymously via the web and mobile app.

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