Joanna Espinoza was 15 when she was shot and killed in Willowbrook, California, on April 23, 2014. The shooting happened around 11 p.m. while Joanna was standing at the bottom of a staircase in a two-story apartment complex on South Wilmington Avenue. She was with a man when a Latino male approached; Lt. Eddie Hernandez said Joanna and the gunman exchanged words before he drew a handgun, fired one round at her, and fled in an unknown direction. Joanna was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 11:24 p.m.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau led the investigation and appealed to the public for information, including anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers. Investigators have faced difficulty because few witnesses were willing to come forward. No arrests have been announced and the case remains open.

If anyone has information about who approached Joanna that night or saw someone fleeing the complex, contact the Homicide Bureau or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.