Westside slaying victim mourned

Friends and family of Hermes Rodriguez are frustrated police have reported no luck finding killer.Police have not reported any progress in finding the killer of a Costa Mesa man who was gunned down Saturday night near his home on the Westside. Family members of Hermes Rodriguez, 21, said Monday they are frustrated about the slow pace of the investigation into his death.

“To my knowledge, the suspect is not in custody,” Costa Mesa police Sgt. Greg Scott said. Police were not able to say whether the department has identified a suspect.

Relatives believe dozens of people may have witnessed the 8 p.m. slaying, including Rodriguez’s best friend and his 12-year-old brother. The attack allegedly happened in front of a house party on Wallace Avenue, and police say a fight may have precipitated the deadly shooting.

Blood stains on the sidewalk trace Rodriguez’s final steps before he collapsed in the driveway of the house of his best friend’s mother. Raquel Chavez said she comforted Rodriguez as he lay in the driveway, dying.

“I told him, ‘Hold on, hold on, the ambulance is going to be here soon,’” she said Sunday. “He told me, ‘I can’t hold on. I’ve been shot in the heart.’”

Family members anxiously waited for word from the police on the shooting. Cousin Brenda Ramirez said her family was growing frustrated that they had received no details on a possible suspect or arrest in the case.

“The people who saw the murder have been ordered not to say anything by the police,” Ramirez said.

On Sunday evening, about 50 neighbors and family members of Rodriguez met on Wallace Avenue to pay their final respects to the young man. Congregants at a nearby Roman Catholic church shared brief stories about the popular construction worker, while others said the rosary.

Family members are hoping to have a funeral service for Rodriguez on Wednesday, although friends and family have not yet been able to raise the estimated $3,000 needed to pay for his burial.

“His friends are really doing a lot,” Ramirez said. “They keep bringing back more money every day.”

The deadly incident has shaken the small Westside neighborhood Rodriguez called home for the last four years. The shooting was within eyesight of Rea Elementary School, a community hub that hosts a number of adult- and youth-oriented nonprofit groups and social programs such as Head Start and the Adult Education Center.

“We’re just trying to assess now how it’s affecting everyone,” Principal Gloria Hardy said. “Pretty much, when a tragedy happens, we observe kids and we look for signs of trauma and need of counseling. We’ve already alerted the assistant superintendent that we might need counselors on site.”

The school has two counselors on staff and could enlist additional help from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District if needed.

Hardy said she felt the campus and playground area were safe, although she acknowledged that there was some gang activity in the surrounding area. The school has several policies in place to keep the campus safe, she said.

“We have procedures to lock down the campus as soon as the bell rings and to lock it up 15 minutes after the kids are dismissed,” Hardy said. “It’s just to keep kids who don’t belong here, who are older teenagers, off the campus.” She later added, “Our students and our teachers are not afraid to work here.”

Former Rea Principal Kurt Suhr said his district has policies in place to keep violence from spilling over onto the school campus.

“I would just say the district has an established set of procedures on how to keep campuses safe,” Suhr said. “No matter what school we’re talking about, the policies and procedures are clear, and when they’re followed, I believe schools are safe.”