A Monrovia family continues to mourn after their loved one was shot while trying to defuse a fight outside his home last weekend.
“We had our whole life planned,” said Darlene Sarti, wife of 38-year-old Nicolas Gandara, a father of six who was killed on Sunday, June 2. “We would like to create these scenarios of what was going on. to be like when we were old and how many grandchildren we would have. All these plans we had for the future.”
She says Gandara always tried to do the right thing, which led to his untimely death when he tried to defuse an argument that had broken out between one of his neighbors and a homeless man living in an encampment in the area.
“I ran to my neighbor, knocked on her door and asked her to take my children,” Sarti recalled. “We were all outside.”
After the shooting, 42-year-old Christoper Wiggan fled the area. He was captured a short time later following a massive search that saw multiple law enforcement agencies and several SWAT members scour the area late Sunday night.
Wiggan now faces murder charges after pleading not guilty in court on Friday. If convicted as charged, he faces up to life in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
“I want him back and every morning I wake up it’s like he’s gone,” Sarti said. “It’s a constant reminder every morning that he’s gone.”
She says the homeless camp, located under an underpass near their home, has long been a problem in the neighborhood, prompting her family attorney to launch an investigation into why nothing was ever done about it.
“This can’t happen next to people’s homes here,” said Elliot Jung, who is representing the family. “If people live in this underpass it becomes a major problem and we know there have been complaints about this in the past.”
With each passing day, Sarti says things only get harder as she tries to wade through life without Gandara by her side.
“I have to look at my kids and think, ‘I’m sorry. You guys won’t know what it’s like to grow up with your dad.'”
You can find an online fundraiser to help the family cover costs by searching the terms “Nicolas Gandara’s Memorial Fund.”
