Man sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison for killing off-duty police officer in Downey

A photo of 26-year-old Gardiel Solorio an off-duty Monterey Park police officer who was fatal shoot was displayed at a news conference on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 in Downey , CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

This article has been updated.

DOWNEY — One of two men charged with the shooting death of an off-duty Monterey Park police officer during what authorities called a botched daytime robbery attempt in a Downey parking lot was sentenced Monday to 24 years and eight months in prison.

Gerardo Magallanes, who was 18 at the time and is now 21, pleaded no contest Sept. 12 to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 8, 2022, slaying of off-duty Officer Gardiel Solorio, 26. He also pleaded no contest to unlawful firearm activity and admitted an allegation that he furnished a firearm, along with a gang allegation.

The alleged gunman, Carlos Delcid, now 23, is awaiting trial on one count each of murder, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon involving the shooting, along with one count of second- degree robbery involving an April 2022 robbery in Long Beach.

The murder charge against Delcid includes the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of an attempted robbery and attempted carjacking, along with allegations that he personally discharged a handgun during each of the crimes.

Delcid could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged.

One of the victim's sisters, Ana, spoke directly to Magallanes during Monday's sentencing hearing, saying, "I hope you have to feel every ounce of pain we feel."

She said she believed he was just as guilty as the person who pulled the trigger.

"I wish you nothing more than a long life full of pain and regret," she said.

Another of the victim's sisters, Eva, said her brother "died a very tragic death," adding that her family is "forever broken."

The victim's older brother, Carlos, told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Porras, "My brother was stolen from us in the most cowardly way possible."

He said the plea deal felt "like another slap in the face" and asked for the maximum sentence for Magallanes, although he said he knew that was "not going to happen."

The judge said he had to evaluate whether the plea deal was "outside the norm," saying he concluded it was not.

He told the defendant that he hoped he would have regrets about what he did, and suggested that he should do some "soul searching."

"This is a tragic event for the victim's family," the judge said. "He was completely innocent in just going to work out and had a nice car."

At a hearing last year in which Delcid was ordered to stand trial, Downey police Detective Ron Gee testified that surveillance video showed one person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and a full black ski mask getting out of a black Honda Accord, with the sound of five gunshots subsequently being heard.

The Honda was subsequently stopped that night by Long Beach police, and Delcid and a teenager who was driving were taken into custody, according to the detective.

Delcid was wearing dark jeans and a white tank top at the time, and a gray hooded sweatshirt and a full black face mask were later discovered inside the vehicle, Gee testified.

Magallanes was arrested three days later, according to the detective.

A teenager who was driving the getaway car and was 17 at the time was sentenced last month to 11 years in custody after pleading no contest last month in adult court to voluntary manslaughter, according to the prosecutor.

During a jailhouse operation after his arrest, Magallanes told undercover operatives that he was in the vehicle with Delcid and the teenager and that they were going to try to "come up on" -- or rob -- someone, the detective testified at the February 2024 hearing.

Magallanes said during the undercover operation that he heard five "pops" after seeing Delcid -- whom he identified by the moniker "Reckless" - - getting out of the car and going to the Dodge Charger, with Delcid subsequently getting back in the getaway vehicle, according" to the testimony.

During a separate jailhouse operation, Delcid discussed a shooting and said he wore a face mask, referring to it as a full face mask, according to the detective.

Long Beach police Detective Jacqueline Parkhill testified during last year's hearing that the victim of an April 26, 2022, robbery in Long Beach told police that he had been robbed of his "chain" by a man who ripped it off his neck, demanded his wallet and fired a shot toward the ground in his direction when the victim balked at his demand.

The detective said she believed that man was 75% confident that a photo depicting Delcid was his assailant, but said that man also indicated there was a chance it could have been another person shown to him in the collection of photos.

At an August 2022 news conference announcing the charges, then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Solorio was in his vehicle in the parking lot of an LA Fitness gym in the 12700 block of Lakewood Boulevard, near the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway, when a suspect -- later identified as Delcid -- allegedly got out of a car nearby and approached Solorio "with a gun drawn in what appeared to be an attempted robbery."

"Officer Solorio attempted to flee by backing up his vehicle when the suspect fired multiple times," Gascón said. "The (suspect) then returned back to the vehicle, where a juvenile was behind the wheel and they fled the scene."

Solorio, who was a rookie just weeks out of the academy, was found unresponsive in his car by authorities and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Then-Monterey Park Police Department Chief Kelly Gordon called his killing "a senseless act of violence."

Gordon said at a news conference that Solorio, who grew up in Bell Gardens and graduated from Cal State Los Angeles with a degree in criminal justice, joined the department as a recruit in January, and had just graduated from the sheriff's training academy on July 22 before beginning his field training July 25.

"Although his time with (the department) was very short, we all knew from the moment we met him that he had the heart of service and was going to be a great officer," she said then.

"And I could tell that from the moment he walked in and did our first introductions in my office. The family and department are grieving right now, and this is an especially difficult tragedy. It's a senseless act of violence. He was only 26 years old. I don't know about all of you, but I have children that age. So to me, this is particularly difficult."