Bartender Was Fatally Shot By Her Husband, Bar Owner Says

The suspect who fatally shot a 36-year-old woman in the head outside of a bar over the weekend was her husband and the father of her children, according to the owner of the bar where she worked.

Initial reports said the suspect meant to shoot someone else, but accidentally struck Siria Portillo Torres in the head with a bullet on Saturday around 8 p.m. outside of Lupillos Bar. However, Javier Gonzalez, the owner of the bar near Pico Boulevard and Western Avenue, tells LAist that it wasn't a random violent act. He says that the gunman was the father of Torres' kids. Torres worked at his bar as a bartender, and he says that the suspect had a long history of domestic abuse. He's not clear on whether the two were separated at the time of the shooting.

Gonzalez says he has a graphic surveillance video of the incident that has not been released to the public, but "it's pretty apparent" from the footage that the shooter is that man. The gunman is still on the loose.

He doesn't know the ages of Torres' children, but says they are safe and in "good hands right now."

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LAPD Det. Joe Rios tells LAist he believes this was an incident of domestic violence. Police are hoping to get in contact with Torres' husband, who is a person of interest right now. They are still investigating the shooting and checking out surveillance videos from neighboring businesses.

Gonzalez says that Torres worked as a bartender at his bar since they first opened about five or six years ago. "Hopefully they catch the guy," Gonzalez says. "It wasn’t right. She was like our main employee. She was a hard worker and a great person. And for her life to be taken like that—it's not right."