Family mourns slain EC man
EL CENTRO — Slain 24-year-old El Centro resident Erasmo Chris Torres was described by family members on Tuesday as a kind, loving person who tended to have generous views of people.
On Sunday, Torres was fatally shot about 4 a.m. near Hamilton Avenue and the railroad tracks as he and his younger brother walked to their family’s nearby home.
The pair was returning from a friend’s house to the south when they were reportedly confronted by a male subject who asked whether they were gang members, family members said.
Despite Torres’ reply that he was not, the male subject nonetheless opened fire, striking Torres at least once in the head, said his younger sister Rosalyn Torres.
Her older brother had even shoved his younger brother aside in an attempt to shield him from harm moments before he was shot, she said.
“This is a place they would always walk through,” Rosalyn said. “They never thought any of this would happen to them.”
A makeshift memorial now marks the site where the body of the lifelong
El Centro resident and father of three young children came to rest.
On Tuesday, Rosalyn and her mother, Rosita, gathered at the site to place a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a Hershey’s candy bar — some of Erasmo Torres’ favorite snacks — at the memorial, which included candles, artificial flowers and cans of beer settled within stones arranged in the shape of a heart.
Plans are underway to hold a fundraising car wash and food sale in the near future to help the family pay for funeral services.
Torres’ younger brother, who was present during the fatal shooting, is the focus of added concern, as well.
“My brother is going through a lot,” Rosalyn said. “He seen everything.”
Following the shooting, Torres’ younger brother called his mother who in turn notified police of the incident.
Family members also were adamant that Torres was not affiliated with any gang or had a criminal history. A graduate of Desert Oasis High, Torres was enrolled in special education classes throughout his life and was in the process of continuing his education, his mother Rosita said.
Torres leaves behind three children between the ages of 6 and 1, family members said. He was known for his generous nature, often providing food and water to homeless individuals in the area.
“He never thought that people would try to harm him,” Rosita said.
On occasion he would visit one such person who resided in the makeshift encampment near where the fatal shooting took place.
Torres’ body was located east of where Hamilton Avenue and the railroad tracks meet, in an isolated area that consists mostly of industrial buildings.
The area had been home to several homeless individuals who resided in a makeshift encampment, which was cleared out on Monday morning, according to the El Centro police call logs.
A few nearby Hamilton Avenue residents who live west of the railroad tracks said the area is relatively quiet and that people tend to keep to themselves.
The shooting remains under investigation by the El Centro Police Department. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the department’s Investigations Division, Detectives Adrian Chilpa (760) 352-2111, ext. 1347, and Alfredo Hernandez (760) 352-2111, ext. 1329.
Although authorities have received limited information regarding the description of the suspect, ECPD reported, it has not been released.
Torres’ family members said they hope the suspect is soon caught or that the person’s conscience compels them to turn themselves in.
“I hope they have guilt inside of them knowing that they took somebody’s father, somebody’s son, somebody’s brother away,” Rosalyn said.