A kid who wants justice for his brother, murdered in Sylmar

EDITOR'S NOTE: Some of the names and other facts have been withheld from the original "Letter" so as to not endanger the young writer or his family. But the sense of his email remains.

December 9th

I lost my brother to a drive-by in Sylmar, CA. It's been a year now, and we still haven't found the coward who shot him. It seems the police don't care because they think it's "just another gang related crime."

I miss my brother. He was one in a million. But in November 2002 he was shot in the head during a drive-by by a local gang.

My brother was something special. He was a fighter and one of the baddest vatos in the San Fernando Valley. He stayed away from drugs and was always a courageous brave man at 21 years of age.

He was standing outside a house drinking on a Friday night with a couple of friends when a car comes by, supposedly from [names 3 possible gangs]. My brother wasn't from a gang but he kicked it with them, and my older brothers are from there.

He has a son that is going to grow up without a dad, but GOD chose for 5 uncles to raise him, and we will.

I'm writing this letter because I want the police to start really "doing something"! My brother deserves justice.

Please police, help find the murderer.

Thank you,

(name withheld by LACP)
15 year old warrior
Sylmar