A man killed by a half-dozen law enforcement officers during a traffic stop in San Marcos earlier this week was remembered by friends and family on Friday night. The group gathered on Twin Oaks Valley Road, where 33-year-old Andre Mendez was shot and killed by five sheriff’s deputies and one Pa lomar College police officer on Wednesday night. Two-dozen candles were the light some 20-plus friends and family of Mendez gathered around. “Here I am. This is Andre. I love you, Andre. I love you,” one participant said. Mendez was an El Camino High School graduate and described as a jack of all trades. “We will always love him, and he is not forgotten,” a friend said. Participants in Friday night’s vigil wore shirts and hoodies with Mendez’s picture. They used helium-filled balloons to spell out his name. The traffic stop happened after a patrolling deputy thought the car might be stolen because the steering wheel was broken and the license plates didn’t seem to match the car, according to police. He pulled the vehicle over. The driver, a 21-year-old woman, got out, but Mendez stayed in and rolled up the windows. Investigators say he refused commands and showed them a semi-automatic handgun. “I can not see him doing anything to provoke this. I believe there could have been other ways to go around this,” a friend said. So many rounds were fired that they were hard to count. There are more than a dozen bullet holes in the Hyundai Sonata he was sitting in. A window was also smashed. “When I heard about this, it was just overwhelming,” a friend said. Family members and friends Friday night voiced their frustration with the police response. “If you’re not in imminent danger, I don’t feel you should use this type of force on somebody. They have taser guns for a reason,“ a friend said. San Diego police homicide detectives are investigating whether the officers’ actions were within police guidelines and criminal statutes. The FBI is also monitoring the case. During the vigil, one of the participants was hit by a car. His injuries were not life threatening, but police and an ambulance responded. The driver did not slow down or stop. ...read more read less