FALLBROOK — Dozens of community members gathered along Mission Avenue on Wednesday evening with candles and flowers to honor Martín Lucas, a local landscaper and father of four who was fatally shot and killed last week.
Lucas, 40, was in a truck with another landscaper when they were both shot on the evening of March 16. Video of the incident shows a man, identified as 70-year-old Michael Burke of Fallbrook, shouting threats at the two men before sticking the gun into the passenger side of the car. The passenger attempts to pull the gun away, and a shot can be heard going off.
Both men were shot. Lucas, who was in the driver’s seat, died from his injuries and the passenger, Julio Leon, was hospitalized with serious injuries. Burke was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Lucas, the attempted murder of Leon, and assault with a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Several attendees to the vigil knew Lucas or his family personally, while some were strangers who drove up from southern San Diego County to show their support.
Alexis Lichterman of Progressive Families Fallbrook, which organized the vigil via social media, said it was important to show support for Lucas’s wife and children.
“We really wanted to surround the family, letting them know that the community supported them. Martín was the rock of the family, and with him gone, it leaves a huge hole in the family,” Lichterman said. “It’s such a small community that everybody has some connection to him, whether it’s a friend of a friend or a family member.”
Lucas’s wife, daughter, three sons, and grandchild were present, wearing shirts honoring Martin that read “Tus alas ya estaban listas para volar, pero mi corazón nunca estuvo listo para verte partir,” or “your wings were ready to fly, but my heart was never ready to see you leave.”
His 19-year-old daughter, Martina Lucas, thanked the community for coming out to support them.
“I know nothing is gonna bring back my dad, but I just want justice for my dad, because what they did to him … My dad was everything to me and my brothers. I’m really really thankful for each and every one of you guys from being here with us today,” Martina Lucas said.
Other speakers recognized Lucas as a kind person and a hard worker who focused on providing for his family.
Fallbrook resident Lauren Crawford said Lucas had done landscaping work at her home for around six years, and that she enjoyed getting to know him and his sons when they would occasionally come along.
“He was such a hard worker, such a good parent,” Crawford said. “My heart’s broken for you guys.”
In the video of the incident, Burke can be heard saying, “You want to die today?” and “I’ll kill you right now,” and states in Spanish that he is friends with the police and California Highway Patrol.
Some in the community are concerned that the shooting was a hate crime, and that Burke, who is White, targeted the two men because of their race. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has not charged Burke with a hate crime, but said they are continuing to investigate the incident.
Lucas was part of Fallbrook’s immigrant community from Guatemala and spoke Q’anjob’al, an indigenous Mayan language. Oscar Caralampio, a teacher and Fallbrook Union High School District board member who shares these same roots, noted that racism against migrants has been a visible part of Fallbrook’s history.
For many decades, the city was home to Tom Metzger, the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon of California and founder of the White Aryan Resistance in the 1980s, who also formed the Klan Border Watch in 1979.
In Fallbrook and other parts of North County, migrants and farmworkers were also targeted by racist attacks from White youth known as “beaner bashings.”
Calampio said the attack against Lucas is a “lesson that history repeats itself,” and said he wants other migrants in Fallbrook to know that they are supported.
“We don’t want it to be brushed under the rug, and we don’t want it to be unseen. We want the immigrant community to know Fallbrook will stand in solidarity with them,” Calampio said.
It has also been reported by the Village News that workers at a nearby property had complained about Burke making racist comments in the past. However, no evidence has been shared by the DA’s Office indicating racist intent from Burke.
Others also noted that since news broke of the shooting, there have been many hateful comments against Lucas due to his race and immigration status on social media.
During the vigil, organizers also shared a GoFundMe campaign to assist the Lucas family. They also held a moment of silence for Lucas and led a chant of “que viva Martín Lucas.”
Burke will reappear in court on March 27. If convicted of all charges, he faces 75 years to life in prison.
