Aceves, a student at Cathedral High School, was attending a party at 5806 Ebey Street, Los Angeles, (Hermon/Highland Park area) when rival gangs encountered each other and gunfire broke out. Aceves was shot in the chest and died from his injuries. News reports at the time explained it this way:The violence began soon after midnight, Salazar said, "when several gang members walked in and commenced to confront several party-goers regarding gang affiliation."
"They were inquiring . . . if anyone there was gang-affiliated: 'Where you from?' That kind of thing," Salazar said. Neither victim was believed to have gang ties, police said
Cathedral High senior James Merchant, 17, said the fight began in fisticuffs between local gang members and party-goers, who included two of Aceves' friends. When Aceves tried to break it up, the fighters began beating him, Merchant said. The brawl spilled out onto the driveway and knocked over a cloth canopy that collapsed onto the boys like a deflated tent, shielding them from view, he said."Then shots rang out, and everybody got down," Merchant said. There were four shots, then a pause, then about six more, he said.
Shot in the chest, Aceves was still conscious when friends tried to administer CPR, but he soon passed out, Merchant said. "Then I checked his pulse, and he was gone," he said.
Many of the 420 students at Cathedral, an all-male Catholic school, drifted onto the campus throughout the day Saturday to pay their respects, said campus ministry director Chris Martin.
"He was a real joker, and pretty enthusiastic," Martin said. "He was just a wealth of knowledge about sports." Merchant recalled Aceves as an aggressive player on the basketball court who good-naturedly badgered him to play better.
"He was always an outgoing guy," Merchant said. "He was always there for people."
Teachers set up a small shrine to Aceves on Saturday, posting blank paper on the walls where students could leave messages, he said.
"He had kind of a little dance that he did to make people laugh," Martin said. "One of the boys wrote, 'Martin, do your dance in heaven.' "
Mario Rocha was later convicted of the murder and spent 10 years in prison. His conviction was reversed and a movie was made of the case called "Mario's Story"
"They were inquiring . . . if anyone there was gang-affiliated: 'Where you from?' That kind of thing," Salazar said. Neither victim was believed to have gang ties, police said
Cathedral High senior James Merchant, 17, said the fight began in fisticuffs between local gang members and party-goers, who included two of Aceves' friends. When Aceves tried to break it up, the fighters began beating him, Merchant said. The brawl spilled out onto the driveway and knocked over a cloth canopy that collapsed onto the boys like a deflated tent, shielding them from view, he said."Then shots rang out, and everybody got down," Merchant said. There were four shots, then a pause, then about six more, he said.
Shot in the chest, Aceves was still conscious when friends tried to administer CPR, but he soon passed out, Merchant said. "Then I checked his pulse, and he was gone," he said.
Many of the 420 students at Cathedral, an all-male Catholic school, drifted onto the campus throughout the day Saturday to pay their respects, said campus ministry director Chris Martin.
"He was a real joker, and pretty enthusiastic," Martin said. "He was just a wealth of knowledge about sports." Merchant recalled Aceves as an aggressive player on the basketball court who good-naturedly badgered him to play better.
"He was always an outgoing guy," Merchant said. "He was always there for people."
Teachers set up a small shrine to Aceves on Saturday, posting blank paper on the walls where students could leave messages, he said.
"He had kind of a little dance that he did to make people laugh," Martin said. "One of the boys wrote, 'Martin, do your dance in heaven.' "
Mario Rocha was later convicted of the murder and spent 10 years in prison. His conviction was reversed and a movie was made of the case called "Mario's Story"
Aceves, a student at Cathedral High School, was attending a party at 5806 Ebey Street, Los Angeles, (Hermon/Highland Park area) when rival gangs encountered each other and gunfire broke out. Aceves was shot in the chest and died from his injuries. News reports at the time explained it this way:The violence began soon after midnight, Salazar said, "when several gang members walked in and commenced to confront several party-goers regarding gang affiliation."
"They were inquiring . . . if anyone there was gang-affiliated: 'Where you from?' That kind of thing," Salazar said. Neither victim was believed to have gang ties, police said
Cathedral High senior James Merchant, 17, said the fight began in fisticuffs between local gang members and party-goers, who included two of Aceves' friends. When Aceves tried to break it up, the fighters began beating him, Merchant said. The brawl spilled out onto the driveway and knocked over a cloth canopy that collapsed onto the boys like a deflated tent, shielding them from view, he said."Then shots rang out, and everybody got down," Merchant said. There were four shots, then a pause, then about six more, he said.
Shot in the chest, Aceves was still conscious when friends tried to administer CPR, but he soon passed out, Merchant said. "Then I checked his pulse, and he was gone," he said.
Many of the 420 students at Cathedral, an all-male Catholic school, drifted onto the campus throughout the day Saturday to pay their respects, said campus ministry director Chris Martin.
"He was a real joker, and pretty enthusiastic," Martin said. "He was just a wealth of knowledge about sports." Merchant recalled Aceves as an aggressive player on the basketball court who good-naturedly badgered him to play better.
"He was always an outgoing guy," Merchant said. "He was always there for people."
Teachers set up a small shrine to Aceves on Saturday, posting blank paper on the walls where students could leave messages, he said.
"He had kind of a little dance that he did to make people laugh," Martin said. "One of the boys wrote, 'Martin, do your dance in heaven.' "
Mario Rocha was later convicted of the murder and spent 10 years in prison. His conviction was reversed and a movie was made of the case called "Mario's Story"
"They were inquiring . . . if anyone there was gang-affiliated: 'Where you from?' That kind of thing," Salazar said. Neither victim was believed to have gang ties, police said
Cathedral High senior James Merchant, 17, said the fight began in fisticuffs between local gang members and party-goers, who included two of Aceves' friends. When Aceves tried to break it up, the fighters began beating him, Merchant said. The brawl spilled out onto the driveway and knocked over a cloth canopy that collapsed onto the boys like a deflated tent, shielding them from view, he said."Then shots rang out, and everybody got down," Merchant said. There were four shots, then a pause, then about six more, he said.
Shot in the chest, Aceves was still conscious when friends tried to administer CPR, but he soon passed out, Merchant said. "Then I checked his pulse, and he was gone," he said.
Many of the 420 students at Cathedral, an all-male Catholic school, drifted onto the campus throughout the day Saturday to pay their respects, said campus ministry director Chris Martin.
"He was a real joker, and pretty enthusiastic," Martin said. "He was just a wealth of knowledge about sports." Merchant recalled Aceves as an aggressive player on the basketball court who good-naturedly badgered him to play better.
"He was always an outgoing guy," Merchant said. "He was always there for people."
Teachers set up a small shrine to Aceves on Saturday, posting blank paper on the walls where students could leave messages, he said.
"He had kind of a little dance that he did to make people laugh," Martin said. "One of the boys wrote, 'Martin, do your dance in heaven.' "
Mario Rocha was later convicted of the murder and spent 10 years in prison. His conviction was reversed and a movie was made of the case called "Mario's Story"
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