Police have made an arrest in the death of Edgar Aguirre, a 38-year-old Cal State LA student who was shot and killed a few blocks from campus on April 1, 2023.

Detectives from Central Bureau Homicide are currently investigating the case and a hearing is scheduled for May 28, according to LAPD Central Bureau Homicide Detective Alex Abundis.

Authorities have not ruled out whether or not the shooting was gang-related. 

The “El Sereno Rifa” and “Metro 13” gangs claim the area where Aguirre was killed as their territory, according to Detective Abundis. 

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Edgar Aguirre (wearing a hoodie) with a group from Project Rebound at the Cal State LA campus. Photo courtesy of Project Rebound Director Summer Brantner.

At the time of the former Cal State LA communications major’s death, the University Times (UT) published an in-memoriam article, remembering Aguirre who had only been out of prison for a few months when he was killed. He was described by peers as​​ “quirky,” “happy-go-lucky,” and “always having a smile on his face,” according to the story. 

Aguirre was a member of Project Rebound, an organization that assists formerly incarcerated individuals who are pursuing a college education. The organization’s project coordinator Jeffrey Stein, said they had no idea that Valley Boulevard was “such a hotspot” and that Aguirre may have been “naive” to some of the dangers surrounding campus. 

Aguirre was an artist and had just begun exploring poetry, according to Stein. 

“He was just now finding out who he could potentially be when this happened,” Stein said. “He was just finally settling in and able to fully experience the opportunities he had as a Cal State LA student and Project Rebound member.”

He came into the Project Rebound office on-campus “almost everyday” to heat-up a cup-of-noodles and coffee. 

Stein said law enforcement never contacted Project Rebound regarding Aguirre’s death and that they were notified through a university-wide email. 

“He was just beginning to understand that your new life will cost you your old one; you leave your old one behind to become the best version of yourself,” Stein said. 

Professor Dawn Dennis shared her memories of Edgar as a student, who she remembers as “very authentic” and “honest.” 

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"My Brother Abraham," written by Edgar Aguirre. Provided by Professor Dawn Dennis.

“He came to class everyday…and he was committed to learning and he felt that education gave him that additional ‘road’ or that ‘bridge’ is how he described it to really kind of move into something different,” Dennis said. “He was really excited about the opportunity to be in the classroom and then to learn and to interact with his peers.”

Check out the video, produced in the Journalism Program’s TVF 4540 Social Media Storytelling class, on the UT’s Instagram page, instagram.com/csula_universitytimes:

 

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