Family members plan to file a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles after a Southern California father was shot and killed by an off-duty LAPD officer.
On May 30, Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three young children, was killed during an altercation with Victor Corral, a Los Angeles police officer who was off-duty at the time.
The confrontation occurred in Ontario near North Euclid Avenue and West 6th Street as the two men became embroiled in a heated argument after a reported fender bender at around 8:30 p.m.
Both men exited their vehicles and somehow the situation escalated into a physical confrontation. A dashcam video from a passing vehicle captured the two men struggling on a neighborhood sidewalk when three gunshots were suddenly heard.
Family members said Cachua was unarmed when he was shot in the back. At the time, Corral had been on medical leave for about a year due to an injury, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Following Hugo’s death, his family has been desperately searching for answers while demanding accountability and justice for his death.
Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen in a personal photo. (Facebook) Victor Corral, a Los Angeles Police Department with the central division. 
Police investigate a fatal shooting in Ontario on May 30, 2024. (Key News) Police investigate a fatal shooting in Ontario on May 30, 2024. (Key News) Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen during playtime with his daughter in a personal photo. (Cachua Family) Hugo Cachua’s mother, Luc Cachua, mourns the loss of her son at a vigil in Ontario on June 6, 2024. (KTLA) Friends and family held a vigil honor Hugo Cachua in Ontario on June 6, 2024. (KTLA) Friends and family held a vigil honor Hugo Cachua in Ontario on June 6, 2024. (KTLA) Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen in a personal photo. (Facebook) Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen in a personal photo. (Cachua Family) Police investigate a fatal shooting in Ontario on May 30, 2024. (Key News) Police investigate a fatal shooting in Ontario on May 30, 2024. (Key News) Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen in a personal photo. (Cachua Family)
“I lost a big part of my life, my inspiration,” said Luis Cachua, Hugo’s brother. “He can never come back, just because this guy took his life for no reason.”
“It started off as an altercation and it wound up as a murder,” said Vangie Lozada, Hugo’s friend.
On Tuesday night, his family said they plan to file a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and Officer Corral while holding a protest against police violence outside L.A. City Hall.
“Hugo was shot multiple times,” said Rene Daley, the family’s attorney. “He had at least six bullet wounds and the final one appeared to be a bullet wound that went through his head. The officer paused in between his shooting for that last shot.”
Victor Corral, a Los Angeles Police Department with the central division. Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Hugo Cachua, 37, a father of three, is seen in a personal photo. (Cachua Family) Family and friends held a protest outside Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024., calling for justice in Hugo Cachua’s death. (KTLA) Police investigate a fatal shooting in Ontario on May 30, 2024. (KTLA)
Daley insists Hugo was not armed during the altercation, while some witnesses reported Hugo allegedly attacked the officer.
Hugo’s family, however, are questioning why Corral was armed in the first place.
Corral joined the LAPD’s Central Division in 1995. An LAPD source told the Times Corral had not regularly qualified on the shooting range according to department procedure since he had been off work for an extended period.
In such circumstances, under department policy, an officer’s privileges to carry a concealed weapon should be withdrawn, but that did not happen in this case, the source told the Times.
“Nothing’s happening to them while our family suffers and grieves and they’re being protected,” Luis said. “You take loved ones that mean the world to us, so we’re going to fight. We’ll never give up. You think your badge gives you the right to kill? No.”
The California Department of Justice will be leading the investigation. The officer involved, Corral, has not been arrested. In June, he returned back to work.
