At a relative's home in Antioch Thursday night, family and friends came to support Lilia Guzman-Solari. Not only her, but her two young sons who were in the car when their father was shot.
"Right now I'm holding up because of my boys. I don't want them to see me breaking down," said Lilia Guzman-Solari, the mother of the two boys.
Wednesday around 6 p.m., 37-year-old Luis Solari was driving south on I-280 near Monterey Boulevard when someone in another car fired several shots in to the family's Honda. The 7-year-old son said his father and the other driver were going back and forth in front of each other before the gunfire erupted.
Luis Solari was a delivery man at Cherin's Appliance Store in San Francisco where fellow workers shared fond memories.
"We saw his children occasionally. He would drop the children by and introduce them around the store. He loved his children, very proud of his children. Just an all around great guy," said Marty Cherin, Solari's Boss.
After work Thursday, Solari picked up his sons from an afterschool program and was on his way to get his wife Lilia after her shift.
"And I kept calling and calling and calling. I must have called like 12, 13, 15 times and he wouldn't pickup. But by this time I'm not thinking anything negative yet," said Lilia.
After going to a relative's home, she got the horrible news.
"It shouldn't have happened to him. He was definitely a people's person. Always looked out for the welfare of others. Always willing to lend a helping hand," said Lilia.
"Big Lou had his kids, Big Lou was a good father. Big Lou was a man who greeted people with big hugs," said Rene Quinonez.
Rene Quinonez runs an organization in the Mission District called Homey, which works to keep young people away from gang life.
The two men grew up together in the ission with Solari being like the older brother who always kept the younger teens from getting into trouble.
"He would be like, 'you guys need to get off these streets, you know there's nothing but trouble out here,' and he was the type of individual to make sure you were ok," said Rene Quinonez.
Thursday night, San Francisco Police say they have no suspects in this road rage attack. They believe the killer was in a light-colored Sedan along with one or two other people. Police say there does not appear to be any connection to an unsolved shooting on I-80 in the East Bay.
Those wanting to contribute to the Solari memorial fund can send
donations to the attention of Lilia Solari/Family Benefit Account.
A.G. Edwards, Inc.
Wachovia Bank
456 Montgomery St., 16th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the police tip line at (415) 575-4444.
