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The daughter of a U.S. Army veteran who was killed in front of his California home while doing yard work called for changes to local criminal justice policies critics say have enabled criminals at the expense of victims.
Mario Morales-Moreno, 51, was killed on April 4 at his Long Beach home when someone opened fire, hitting him and another victim, the Long Beach Police Department said.
Morales-Moreno was struck in the upper body and died at the scene. Another man was hit in the leg but survived. On Thursday, Morales-Moreno’s daughter, Fernanda Sandoval, remembered her father as a man of service while calling for change.
As the county’s top prosecutor, Gascón has enacted a series of criminal justice directives since taking office in 2020 that have drawn scorn from opponents and many in law enforcement, such as barring prosecutors from attending parole hearings, promoting zero-cash bail and efforts to end the prosecution of juveniles as adults, even for violent crimes.
Residents living in fear
Sandoval said Los Angeles County residents are living in fear.
“We no longer feel safe in our homes. These current policies are not allowing the current victims of crime to feel justice,” she said without mentioning specifics.
Los Angeles County Prosecutor Jason Lustig, who has criticized Gascón, his boss, over his policies, said Sandoval was mostly likely alluding to Gascón in her remarks.
“I think she was quite sophisticated and dignified because she knew exactly what she was saying,” she said. “She could have really put it in his face.”
Morales-Moreno worked for the suburb of La Mirada as a senior code enforcement specialist, the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers said. He rejoined the city after leaving in 2014.
In a statement, La Mirada City Manager Jeff Boynton praised Morales-Moreno as someone who came to work with a “positive attitude, worked well with residents and his colleagues at City Hall, and represented La Mirada admirably. He especially relished his leadership role with the City and enjoyed being a mentor to others in the City’s Public Safety Department. Mario will be deeply missed.”
