Profile

Name: Merced "Shadow" Cambero Jr.
Aliases: Shadow
Sex: Male
Race: Hispanic
Age Now: 29
Height: 5'5\"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Brown\rMustache.
Eyes (Color and Correction): Brown
Other Physical Characteristics: Cambero has a double-pierced left ear and a prominent dimple on his chin.
Wanted for: Conspiracy Against Rights, Highland Park, CA; Apr 18, 1999
Aiding And Abetting, Highland Park, CA; Apr 18, 1999
Use or Discharge Of A Firearm During A Crime Of Violence Causing Death, Highland Park, CA; Apr 18, 1999

Locations

Last seen: Highland Park, CA
Possible location: Southern, CA Arizona
Last known: Unkown

Traits

Known gang member with the East Los Angeles/Highland Park sect called the Avenues.

Case Story

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Kenneth Wilson could not have sensed the magnitude of danger surrounding him on the evening of April 18, 1999.  Kenny planned to drive his nephew, Duane Williams, and his nephew's friends for a night out of clubbing in Los Angeles.  Afterwards, they reached Duane's apartment in the Highland Park area of the city and Kenny dropped off his nephew and friends before he began to hunt for parking.  Authorities say that Kenny Wilson being a black man and driving alone at night in an area controlled by Hispanic gangs made him an easy mark for five members of the Avenues.  Cops say they're a murderous gang of thugs who specifically target men, women, and children who are black.  The Avenues are known for ridding their turf of African Americans by any means necessary and have been linked to numerous beatings and murders in the area. Police believe that Merced Cambero Jr. and his four fellow gang members conspired to kill Kenny Wilson as he tried to park his car.  As Wilson circled to find an open spot, police say that Cambero and two others piled out of a stolen van, rushed Wilson, and fired a barrage of bullets that hit him in the head and killed him before his car had even rolled to a stop.

Gang Killing Sparks Hate Crime Charges

One by one, cops caught and convicted Gilbert \"Lucky\" Saldana, Alejandro \"Bird\" Martinez, Porfirio \"Dreamer\" Avila, and Fernando \"Sneaky\" Cazares in the murder of Kenneth Wilson.  With the FBI's involvement, the case against the Avenues' members became the first of its kind to successfully convict a street gang for committing hate crimes. With the convictions the FBI wants to send a loud and clear message to street gangs:  prepare to do some time for taking part in hate crimes.  Authorities are looking for the public's assistance in locating the missing link in the cabal of cold-blooded killers, Merced Cambero, Jr.