Family remembers Visalia father killed in shooting, daughter urges people to come forward

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Tulare County family is seeking justice after a father of seven was shot and killed in 2021.

"My dad, you know he had a heart of gold. He was a kind man. He always taught us to just be nice, kill him with kindness, was one of the phrases that he said, growing up," says Serena Picasso, who remembers her dad, Alex Picasso, for the good person he was.

Alex Picasso was 57 years old when Visalia Police found him shot multiple times near Bridge Street and Tulare Avenue in August of 2021.

Alex later died at a local hospital.

It has been two years, yet no killer has been found.

This week, Valley crime stoppers announced a three-thousand dollar reward- to anyone with information that leads to an arrest.

"I hope that we can get some justice. I think our family wants justice. We want to be able to close this chapter, and you know our dad's our dad's resting. But we want to be able to close this for ourselves, too, and our family can move forward and, honestly, just to find some peace with all of it," expresses Serena.

Alex left behind seven kids. The youngest was 18-month-old Rosie.

Serena is now raising her little sister.

"She'll never get to know him. And so it just rips away all of the potential. And in your life. And so it just hurts. But you know, here we are, and we keep going as best as we can," mentions Serena.

Serene lives each day with the hope that one day, her dad's killer will be found.

For now, she continues to live by her dad's legacy and teach baby Rosie how their father was: forgiving, kind and generous.

"He had a lot of life left to live. We had so many more stories to write with him and memories to make. If anyone out there knows any information, our family would be grateful, and I know my dad would be grateful," says Serena.

If anyone has information, you are urged to call the Visalia Police Department at (559) 734-8117 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP.

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