North Hollywood

Valley Homicide Leaves Family Begging for Someone to Come Forward With Information

"He died all alone, that’s what kills me."

Haroutoun Bezikyan would have been 22 years old just four days after someone fired a single shot that took his life.

But that’s not what his sister says upsets her the most.

"He died all alone, that’s what kills me," Alice George says as she sits in the home she grew up in, the same house where she used to share a bedroom with her little brother.

"He died all alone on the curb somewhere. No one to hold his hand, no one to tell him it’s going to be okay. Nothing." 

LAPD Valley Bureau Homicide detectives believe there’s someone out there who knows what happened on April 1, 2015 on Fulton Avenue, just north of Victory in Van Nuys. It was April Fools’ Day, but this was no joke.

"The room is just empty without him," George said. "My parents aren’t the same. I don’t feel like I only lost my brother, I feel like I lost both of my parents."

The family of five is now dealing with the reality that they are left as four, and yet with a sincere hope that can seek the justice they need to find closure.

LAPD Detective Marc Martinez says only a few witnesses came forward the night of the shooting, but he believes with the amount of street and foot traffic in the area, some just haven’t realized they may hold the key to unlocking this unsolved case.

"They heard a gunshot from directly across the street from the location where he was found," Martinez said. "It’s possible [the shooter] may have jumped in a car or ran through a couple houses."

Surveillance video from a 7-11 just south of the shooting scene didn’t reveal any unusual activity after the incident, so that hasn’t been helpful, according to police.

Crime scene photos show evidence markers that make a line across Fulton Avenue. Usually reserved for shell casings, the markers pinpoint every drop of blood that fell as Bezikyan stumbled to make his way across the street and onto the front steps of a small home. This is where he would take his final breath.

"Losing him was like losing a part of my soul," Silva Mack, the eldest of the three siblings said. "I miss every detail about him." 

Silva says her brother loved his skateboard, his bike and baseball. But she says what upsets her most is that her brother never lived to hold his baby daughter.

"And that’s not fair for him to have a baby and her not to know who he was and how amazing he was," she said. 

The family, which lives in North Hollywood, only a few miles from the crime scene, is hoping their pain will turn into peace if someone comes forward with information to help detectives.

"I would like to know why it happened," George said. "Why did someone feel the need to take my brother’s life?”

She reaches out for possible acquaintances of the shooter, hoping perhaps they may step up to help the family find closure.

"They’re probably just scared to speak up. But they need to understand that there’s a family on this end that’s just hurting so bad," she said. "We need answers." 

Silva turns her words to the killer himself.

"I would tell them to turn themselves in," she said. "Because there’s no way you can take a human life intentionally or unintentionally and live with yourself. You must have nightmares on a daily basis."

Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD Valley Bureau Homicide at 818-374-1948. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

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