Wednesday, October 28, 2020

$20,000 Reward Renewed in Fatal Shooting of Altadena Man in Pasadena 5 Years Ago

Robert Calderon, 27, of Altadena, pictured in a photo provided by family members

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday renewed a $20,000 reward for information in the unsolved killing of a 27-year-old Altadena man who was gunned down in Pasadena nearly five years ago.

Robert Calderon was shot and killed about 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2015, in the 600 block of North Mentor Avenue, according to Pasadena police and Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner officials.

The killing has remained unsolved, in part due to an apparent lack of witness cooperation, investigators have said. No details regarding the circumstances of the fatal attack have been released.

Robert Calderon, 27, of Altadena, pictured with friends, in a photo provided by family members 2nd

Calderon’s mother, Sarah Mendoza-Jaime, said she remains confident that as detectives continue following new leads, the killer will be caught.

“There’s something in my heart that tells me justice will come soon,” she said.

On the night of the shooting, Calderon had just dropped his mother off at a Christmas party. After hearing of a shooting on Mentor Avenue, she tried calling her son on his cellphone but received to answer.

Officials confirmed the following morning what she said she had feared. The victim was her son.

Paramedics pronounced Calderon dead on the sidewalk, officials said. An autopsy determined he died from “multiple gunshot wounds,” coroner’s records show.

Calderon was well-liked and outgoing, Mendoza-Jaime said. He was not involved with gangs.

He often quoted scripture and was the spiritual center of his family, his mother said.

He grew up in Pasadena and Altadena, attended Pasadena High School and Pasadena City College, according to Mendoza-Jaime. He had just completed a certificate program in electronics in the months before his death and planned to work as an electrical lineman apprentice.

In addition to his mother, Calderon is survived by his father and stepfather, as well as a girlfriend.

Anyone with information on the killing was urged to contact Pasadena police at (626) 744-4501.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.