Employees of Homeboy Industries are mourning one of their own this week after graffiti removal worker Miguel Rafael Gomez, 34, was shot and killed while painting over a graffiti-covered wall in Boyle Heights in the early morning hours of June 24.

Gomez was shot several times as he painted over a Smart & Final warehouse store wall. Police reported that one or two suspects approached Gomez, opened fire on him and ran down the street.

Gomez was a former gang member who was released from prison three months ago after serving ten years. Police officials don't believe his gang ties had anything to do with the shooting, but suspect that the gunman fired out of anger at having his gang's graffiti removed.

Homeboy Industries, based in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, was started by Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle as a way for gang members to break their criminal ties. The community-based organization, which provides jobs and job training, runs a bakery and professional printing shop as well as the graffiti removal service.

Father Boyle, who had known Gomez for 20 years, told the Los Angeles Times on June 25 that, "[Gomez's] first step was to say, 'That's it for me, I don't want to go back to prison.' That was a significant step. At the end of his life, he was able to tell his mother, 'I am not how I used to be.' That's what she told me today."

Family members and friends celebrated a wake for Gomez on June 30, with the funeral services held for Gomez July 1 at Dolores Mission Church.