(L.A.) Freddy Machuca, 34, Died on a Sidewalk
Case Number: 2021-11128
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 34-year-old Hispanic male that occurred on a sidewalk in the East Hollywood / North Koreatown area.
The coroner’s office identified the man as Freddy Machuca, whose papers showed him as a registered resident of North New Hampshire Avenue in North Koreatown. Born in L.A. County.
Manner of Death: Homicide
Cause of Death: Gunshot Wound of Abdomen
RIP FREDDY MACHUCA y AYALA (September 11, 1987 – October 5, 2021)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Tuesday at 12:23 a.m.
The shooting happened late Monday night at around 11:54 p.m.
Incident Location: “Hotel”
321 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, 90004
Place of Death: Sidewalk
321 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, 90004
This was a four-minute walk from his supposed or erstwhile apartment residence on New Hampshire.
Investigators determined that two men who were both registered guests at the hotel got into a severe dispute. During the argument, one man became angry and smashed a hotel window. Both men then pulled out firearms and opened fire on each other inside the hotel.
The primary shooter was struck during the gunfight, stumbled outside, and was pronounced dead on the sidewalk right in front of the hotel. The second man was found wounded inside the building and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Avenue Hotel at 321 North Vermont Avenue was actively operating as an interim emergency shelter for unhoused individuals under California’s Project Roomkey initiative.
Project Roomkey was a state-and-local program launched during the pandemic. The government leased out entire commercial hotels to provide immediate, temporary shelter to vulnerable people experiencing homelessness to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Because these hotels were converted quickly to meet an emergency need, they often lacked the permanent on-site medical staff, case managers, and security structure that standard supportive housing has. This temporary setup unfortunately led to high-stress environments and frequent room disputes at several sites across Los Angeles.
When the fatal shootout occurred in October 2021, the building was still operating under this emergency pandemic leasing model.
The incident at the site is a major reason why Los Angeles County stepped in just a few months later in 2022. Instead of letting the building remain a temporarily leased emergency hotel, the county used Project Homekey funding to buy the property outright for $25.79 million. They completely restructured the building into Avenida, transforming it into a permanent apartment complex with mandatory, professional on-site case management and safety measures to ensure it would never revert to those pandemic-era conditions.