13-Year-Old Boy Shot Dead While Waiting for His Mother to Finish Work at Gas Station

A 13-year-old boy was fatally shot outside a gas station in Los Angeles, according to authorities.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Saith Mendez was standing outside the 76 station in Pico Rivera when he was shot just before midnight, KTLA and CBS News reported, citing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

He had been waiting for his mother to finish her shift inside the gas station, according to the outlets and NBC Los Angeles.

Detectives told CBS News that a man in his 20s suddenly approached Mendez before opening fire. They said there was no argument or robbery beforehand.

The teen was found with at least one gunshot wound, and NBC Los Angeles reported that officials said he was shot multiple times in the back.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed in a statement that homicide investigators were assisting with the case, which was reported around 11:45 p.m. on the 8800 block of Whittier Blvd in Pico Rivera. Authorities said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a later update, investigators noted that the case did not appear to be connected to a separate homicide that occurred on Aug. 21 in Pico Rivera. At that time, a man was killed at a Shell gas station on Washington Boulevard, according to KTLA.

As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with Mendez’s death, per NBC Los Angeles.

Family members described Mendez as curious and loving, and said he took pride in protecting his mother after his father’s death earlier this year, CBS News reported. They explained that his loyalty to his mom was the reason he waited for her outside the gas station that night.

A woman who knows Mendez’s mother told KTLA that the mother had been living in a shelter. “She’s homeless and she was living in a shelter in Long Beach and she would bring her son because she didn’t want to leave him there,” Christine Kreimann said. “When she was working with customers, he would come and pick up around the gas station for her.”

A GoFundMe campaign set up to assist with funeral expenses had raised more than $9,000 of its $15,000 goal as of publication.

“As my cousin Favi is a single mother of 5, any donation or share means so much to us right now,” the fundraiser description read.

PEOPLE has reached out to the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station for further comment.