‘He had a long time to go’

More than 500 people gathered on a rainy Friday for the funeral of 4-year-old Roberto Lopez Jr., who was shot and killed near his Los Angeles home in what police believe was gang violence.

Inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony told the congregation to never forget the preciousness of children and that “we have a responsibility to help this family.”

A 12-person choir sang and family members and friends mourned while Mahony conducted the Mass in Spanish and urged those present to think about how short life is and recall God’s larger plan.

At the front of the room, near the casket draped in white, was a picture of Roberto wearing a black cowboy hat. The boy was shot in the chest Jan. 13 while with his sister near their home south of Angelino Heights. Howard Astorga, 25, of Los Angeles has been arrested and charged with murder and special allegations in Roberto’s death. Police think the bullet that struck the boy was intended for gang rivals in a passing car.

“It feels really bad. It’s not fair that a little angel died for gangs,” said Mirlet Victorio, 14, who said she knew Roberto’s grandmother well. “He had a long time to go.”

At the end of the Mass, Mahony also talked about confronting gang violence.

“He talked about the best way to honor Robertito is to really take a firm and united stand against gang violence,” said Tod Tamberg, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Tamberg said Mahony had also begun work on a letter to the Los Angeles Police Department, clergymen in the area where Roberto lived and community organizations because he wants “to try and find a way where they can make that area a safer place.”

Two years ago, a 9-year-old girl was killed in Angelino Heights by gang crossfire as she stood in the kitchen of her home.

Councilman Ed Reyes, who attended the Mass, said members of the community should “take into account what we can do as individuals” to keep neighborhoods safe.

“It’s really a tragedy when a youngster dies,” said Reyes, whose district includes the sites of the shootings. He said he hoped those enraged and saddened by Roberto’s death would not disappear in the months after the funeral but would stay committed to stopping neighborhood violence.

“We each have an opportunity to affect our own circles around us,” Reyes said.

Roberto was buried at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles. He is survived by his parents, Roberto Lopez and Araceli Gonzalez Lopez; and two siblings.

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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com