By Annabel Martin

On January 18 at midnight, at the intersection of Roscoe and Topanga Canyon Boulevards, 17-year-old Latino boy Carlos Heredia Jr attempted to rob two people outside a gas station in Canoga Park. After a 911 call from the station's attendant, City News Service reported that police arrived at the scene and immediately spotted the suspect.

When they began to chase him on foot…

… Heredia allegedly displayed a handgun, according to the Los Angeles Times. LAPD officer Dennis Cunningham — a 12-year veteran of the department — fired his weapon several times throughout the chase, and eventually killed Heredia.

LAPD Lieutenant Rick Banks told City News that he did not know whether the suspect actually fired at the officers, but police did recover a handgun from the scene. They were not injured in the chase.

After the shooting, the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived and pronounced Heredia dead where he had been shot down.

Note: Due to technical difficulties, the LA Weekly's archive of all homicides within Los Angeles city limits was discontinued near the end of last year. We will be rolling out the 2011 homicides, one by one, until our “Murder was the Case” archive is up to date. Thanks for your patience.

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