Car belonging to LAPD officer named ‘person of interest’ in homicide found

LOS ANGELES — Pomona police said late Saturday they are seeking a rookie Los Angeles police officer in connection with the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man the day before, calling the officer a “person of interest” in the homicide case.

The probationary officer, identified as Henry Solis, 27, was off-duty at the time of the killing but has not reported to work since then, Pomona police said in a statement issued Saturday night. Investigators “have reason to believe that he knows the police are looking to talk to him.”

Cmdr. Andrew Smith, an LAPD spokesman, said Solis joined the department in June. After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to the Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley, where he has worked since November.

Smith said Solis had an “unremarkable” history with the department.

Smith confirmed Solis failed to report to work Saturday morning, and said his supervisors weren’t able to locate him by phone. Pomona police later advised the LAPD that Solis was a person of interest in their case, Smith said.

Solis’ 2013 Volkswagen Jetta was found roughly four blocks from where the victim, identified Saturday as Salome Rodriguez Jr. of Ontario, had been fatally shot. A vigil was held Sunday for Rodriguez, a trucker, according to KTLA.

Smith referred questions about the homicide investigation to Pomona police, saying it was “too early to comment” about the officer’s possible involvement. He said the LAPD was assisting Pomona police in locating Solis.

“We’re obviously going to cooperate with them to every extent we can to provide them with any information they need,” Smith said.

Pomona police said in a statement Friday that the killing happened about 3:30 a.m., when police received multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area of Third and Main streets. Officers arrived to find a 23-year-old man who had been shot.

Paramedics took Rodriguez to a hospital, where he later died.

Pomona police have provided few details about the shooting, saying only that a preliminary investigation indicated “the victim and suspect were engaged in a physical altercation.” On Friday, police said it was unclear if the two men knew each other.

Solis, a Pomona resident, was described as 5 foot 9 and 185 pounds.