Small Advocate

LAPD Chief William Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a news conference Thursday in the 77th Street police station to tout this year's lower violent-crime rate. Five-year-old Cheyenne, right, the daughter of murder victim Ashley Cheval, stood fidgeting as the dignitaries talked. Cheyenne's family had been invited to the news conference to help draw attention to the unsolved murder problem.

When it was over, television crews began packing up their cameras. Cheyenne broke away from her family, walked up to a reporter, and pointed to the poster of her mother, displayed on one side of the podium. "That's my mommy," Cheyenne said. Then she insisted on writing her mother's name in a reporter's notebook. She wrote A-S-H-L-E-Y.

Her mother, Ashley Cheval, 23, was killed Aug. 25, 2006 in the 4300 block of Western Avenue at 9:45 a.m.  while sitting in a car. The suspects are three black men, who fled in a gold late-model Lincoln Mercury. Police are looking for any information from anyone on this case. Call (213) 485-1383.

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The Map

Click here for Quick's map.

Left, this is what the map
looked like in mid-March
when Quick started.

                                  Right, this is what the map
                                  looks like now.

Michael Quick, a professor at USC, makes these maps for readers of the Homicide Report. The map shows all the homicides in the Los Angeles County since Jan. 1, 2007. Tan markers indicate homicides from the past week. Background: A Reader Makes a Map

Victims, May 22-29

(This is the official weekly list using updated information from the Los Angeles County coroner's files. Cases covered earlier in the week are cataloged here in more detail. The list is in chronological order beginning with the most recent killings. There are 16 victims on the list this week, slightly less than the year-to-date average. The week started slowly, but 10 deaths over Memorial Day weekend expanded the tally.)

Carnell Dayvione Ardoine, 19

Carnell Dayvione Ardoine, 19, a young black man, was found in an alley after having been shot in the mouth at 627 E. 81st St. in LAPD's 77th Street Division. His time of death was listed as 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 29.

Visaal Tulsi, 22

Visaal Tulsi, a 22-year-old man of Pacific Islander descent, was shot and killed in the 700 block of S. Barranca Avenue in West Covina, and died at 11:45 p.m. Monday, May 28.

West Covina police said this killing began with an argument of some kind in the parking lot of B.J.'s Brewery at the intersection of Barranca and the San Bernardino Freeway. The combatants got in their cars and "chased each other around," according to Lt. Pete Mena. Tulsi was riding in the front passenger seat with two friends, both of them men in their 20s. As they sped away down Barranca, their adversaries fired shots into their car, hitting Tulsi. His friend continued driving another mile down Barranca. The assailants continued chasing them and fired again, this time hitting the driver, who crashed through a chain-link fence onto a golf course. West Covina police responding to a call of a traffic accident found the driver wounded and Tulsi already dead in the front seat. It was West Covina's first murder investigation of the year.

The driver underwent surgery and is expected to survive. The third man in the car was not hit. As is common in L.A. County shooting incidents, neither surviving witness has given police much information, and investigators are seeking tips from anyone who might have seen the car-to-car shooting, or the confrontation at B.J.'s. Call (626) 939-8557.

Jamar Witherspoon, 18

Jamar Witherspoon, 18, a black young man, was shot by a LAPD Southeast Division gang officer Jeff Bright, 35, near the intersection of 89th and Main Streets in South Los Angeles and died at 11:46 p.m. Monday, May 28.

The shooting happened just east of the Harbor Freeway south of Manchester Boulevard at about 11:15 p.m. According to police, the officers had been called to a shooting at 94th and Main streets. While they were investigating, a second shooting call came from near 89th and Main. The officers went there and spotted Witherspoon riding on the handlebars of a small motorcycle driven by another man. Police said Witherspoon ran when he saw the officers and jumped a fence. He ran toward Bright, who, with his partner, had come to assist the other officers. Police said Bright saw that Witherspoon had a .45 caliber handgun in his waistband, and shot him. He was transported to California Hospital where he died, they said. The handgun was recovered.

Why does the Homicide Report list killings by police?

Mario Martinez, 18

Mario Martinez, 18, a young Latino man, was shot in the right side of his chest at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Western Avenue, and died at 6:31 p.m. Monday, May 28.

Antonio Magana, 27

Antonio Magana, 27, a Latino man, was shot in a gang-related drive-by shooting at 9910 Telfair Ave. in Pacoima, and died at 11:20 a.m. Monday, May 28. He was sitting in a parked car. The suspects, two Latinos, drove up and fired on him.

Ana Artiga, 27

Ana Artiga, 27, a Latina woman, was shot multiple times through the head at 501 E. 23rd Street in South-Central Los Angeles at about 4 p.m., and died at 5:37 p.m. Sunday, May 27. She was standing in front of a market when this drive-by occurred. Police had a record that indicated she belonged to a local gang. She died at California Hospital.

Update: LAPD Newton Dets. Tommy Thompson and Dan Gersna have cleared this case. Two suspects, both Latino young men with documented gang membership, have been arrested and charged with murder.

Michael Rosas, 25

Michael Rosas, 25, a Latino man, was shot at 11412 Maxine St. in Whittier and died at 10:47 p.m. Sunday, May 27. He was found dead in the street.

Aaron Romero, 19

Aaron Romero, 19, a young Latino man, was shot at 1300 E. 49th Street in South-Central Los Angeles and died at 1:35 p.m. Sunday, May 27. He was standing outside with another man when a suspect walked up and shot them both. His companion survived, but Romero died at a hospital.

Update: LAPD Newton detectives have cleared this case. The suspect, 33-year-old Derrice Potter, a black man, was arrested after a police foot pursuit in LAPD's Southwest Division on Sunday, June 17. Authorities allege that Potter, whose nickname is "Kojak," killed Romero in a quarrel over a stolen bicycle that pitted members of a black gang against a local Latino tagger group. Romero's killing was preceded by a fistfight, they said.

Jeremy Howard, 20

Jeremy Howard, 20, a black man, was shot in the back in the 6600 block of Myrrh Street in Paramount, and died at 9:18 p.m. Saturday, May 26.

He had attended a prom or pre-graduation party thrown by two sisters in the 6600 block of Myrrh Street in Paramount on Saturday evening at about 8 p.m. Howard had quarreled with some people at the party, and opted to walk away. He was leaving when the suspects, described as 18- to 20-year-old black young men, got in their car and drove past him as he moved toward his car, firing multiple shots at him. He was struck and killed. The assailants fled in what may have been an older-style Honda. Anyone with any tips or information is asked to call investigators at (323) 890-5500.

Quanisha Pitts, 17

Quanisha Pitts, 17, a young black woman, was struck in the back and neck by gunfire in the 1200 block of South Wadsworth Avenue in Compton. Her time of death at a hospital was listed as 12:54 a.m. Saturday, May 26.

She had gone a movie that night in Lakewood with a young man, 21. Before he took her back to her parents, he had brought her by his own parents' house in Compton for a brief visit. She had to be home by midnight, and they were running a little late. The young man was in a hurry to get Quanisha home as soon as possible, and they got back into the car.

They pulled out and passed some young men standing on the street--gang members, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Det. Todd Anderson. As the group receded in the rearview mirror, the back windshield shattered. One of the people on the street had fired a gun--a bullet out of the dark.

It struck Quanisha, leaving her severely wounded. Her date kept driving, speeding away to safety with Quanisha bleeding next to him. He took two turns, pulled into the front yard of her parents' home nearby, and frantically leaned on the horn. Her family came running out, and saw her there. "A really good girl. A hard-working guy," Anderson said of the pair. "He is just completely torn up by this."

Daily Breeze

Armando Espericueta, 22

Armando Espericueta, 22, a Latino man, was struck by gunfire at 6912 Purdy Ave. in Bell Gardens, and died at 1:27 a.m. Saturday, May 26.

Wayne McKinney, 24

Wayne McKinney, 24, a black man, was shot multiple times near the intersection of Vermont and Slauson avenues in L.A., and died at 9:44 p.m. Friday, May 25. He was in a car with a friend when a black man or youth on the sidewalk called out to them a gang challenge, then fired, striking McKinney. His companion drove away, and stopped a short distance away.

Joaquin Aguilar, 46

Joaquin Aguilar, 46, a Latino man, was shot multiple times at 8508 S. San Pedro St. in South-Central and died at 10:54 p.m. Thursday, May 24. Police have little on this case. Aguilar died at the scene.

Paul Martinez, 22

Paul Martinez, 22, a Latino man, was stabbed at 257 E. Ave. Q-10 in Palmdale, and died at a hospital at 2:45 a.m. Thursday, May 24. Martinez was walking through an empty field in the dead of night with two friends when two other men attacked them. One of the attackers had a knife and stabbed Martinez. The attackers are believed to be Latino, investigators said.

Jose Hernandez, 51

Jose Hernandez, 51, suffered possible blunt-force trauma to the face and head. His beaten and bloodied body was found in a car on the Pomona Freeway near the Crossroads Parkway exit in Industry by California Highway Patrol officers. His time of death was listed as 1:11 a.m. Wednesday, May 23.

Hyo Lim, 51

Hyo Lim, a 51-year-old man of Korean descent, was shot in the head and chest by Sae Kyoon Na, 47, another man, who police say shot himself immediately after in this Koreatown murder-suicide case.

Police say Na walked into Suhrabal, Lim's popular Korean barbeque restaurant at the corner of First Street and Western Avenue at about 4:50 p.m., argued with Lim, shot him in the head, then shot himself. Police found both Lim and Na inside the restaurant, dead of gunshot wounds to the head. They also found a handgun. Authorities said there was a quarrel between the two men: Na had accused Lim of having an affair with his wife. Lim's time of death was listed as 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, May 22.

(This is the end of this week's list.)

LAPD Newton, Again

(This case has not yet been included in the list above.)

South-Central Los Angeles: A Latina woman in her 40s was killed in a bicycle ride-by shooting in the 6300 block of South Main Street just east of the Harbor Freeway near the Gage exit at 8:21 p.m. Tuesday, May 29. The suspect fired several rounds and then fled on a bicycle. She died at the scene. The homicide in LAPD Newton Division, which straddles Central Avenue as it runs south from the Garment District, was the third since last week. More to come.

What it's like to be shot, Part II

(34-year-old Carl Dixon was killed in the May 9 Florence shooting that also left three other people wounded. Last week, The Homicide Report told this story from the perspective one survivor, Sidney McFarland.

Today, the story is told from the perspective of a second victim, Bernard McGee, 37, McFarland's cousin, who suffered serious wounds to the back and both thighs. The Latino suspects in this case are still at large. Above, McGee looks away as neighbor Latisha Thomas changes the dressing on a wound. Photo by Brian VanderBrug/LAT)

It was still light when Bernard McGee greeted Carl Dixon in front of a house in the 1600 block of East 81st Street. McGee was sitting on the porch. With him was his common-law wife, their 3-month-old baby boy Ejuan, and McGee's cousin, Sidney McFarland.

McGee barely had time to exchange greetings with Dixon. As soon as Dixon sat, there was an explosion of gunfire. "Boom, pac, pac, pac, boom, boom, boom!" McGee said, recalling the sound. A group of people were shooting from behind a wall. McGee looked at Dixon. He saw the red fabric of Dixon's shirt whip, as if a strong breeze were yanking it. Dixon was being shot in the torso.

Then McGee felt two little sharp jabs in his legs. Quick piercings. One in each thigh. He felt no pain. But he had a clear sensation of two tiny objects plunging into his flesh. He knew had been hit. Instinct, or adrenalin, put him in motion. He was running. "I had no choice," he said. "My legs got up and went."

Quick's map this week

Click anywhere on this text to see this week's map pinpointing homicides in Los Angeles, once again, by Michael Quick. Tan markers indicate newer homicides. Click on each for details. Left, the killing of Carl Pickering in Watts is pinpointed. Some computers may need time to load.

Note the emerging dark cloud of homicides around Athens just north of the 105 Freeway and west of 110. This unincorporated area falls in sheriff's territory. It has seen one of the regions most significant homicide spikes this year, even as homicide numbers are decreasing in other areas, such as downtown Los Angeles.

Michael Quick is a USC professor and a reader of The Homicide Report who constructs this map for other readers of the Web page each week. Read More.

From LaQuita Suggs

(LaQuita Suggs' mother Ella Suggs was stabbed to death at a bus stop April 29. For previous posts, click here.)

It seems that time does not skip a beat.  You have to try to stay a float or you will become overwhelmed by the issues of life.  I am still struggling with making it day by day but I am learning how to focus on right now instead of looking too far ahead.  Grief is a terrible thing, but if you can keep living strenght is bound to emerge.  I would still like to submit a biography about my Mom just to assist me with talking publicly aobut how wonderful she was.

Just In: Koreatown homicide

Koreatown: Hyo Jin Lim, a 51-year-old man of Korean descent, was shot and killed by Sae Kyoon Na, 47. Na, police say, walked into Suhrabal, Lim's popular Korean barbeque restaurant at the corner of First Street and Western Avenue at about 4:50 p.m., argued with Lim, shot him in the head, then shot himself. Police found both Lim and Na inside the restaurant, dead of gunshot wounds to the head. They also found a handgun. Authorities said there was a quarrel between the two men: Na had accused Lim of having an affair with his wife.

L.A. Times story:

Wanted man reportedly shot himself

Updating a case reported on the first list published by The Homicide Report, Los Angeles police today said that a man wanted for the Jan. 20 killing of 22-year-old Armando Vera in the San Fernando Valley is dead. They said he shot himself in a standoff with special-enforcement deputies in Long Beach earlier this month.

See previous post on victim Vera

Victims, May 14-20

(The posts that follow are the coroner's official weekly list. Homicides covered earlier in the week are updated here, with information from medical examiners added. The list is in chronological order. It is short this week: 13 people. A baby's death is still under investigation, and may or may not be a homicide.)

Miguel Sanchez, 20

Miguel Sanchez, 20, a Latino young man, was killed in a double homicide with his brother Francisco at 6308 Eastern Ave. in Bell Gardens. He died at 2:24 p.m. Sunday, May 20.

The brothers were part of a group in a car. One was the driver. A suspect walked up on foot and pointed a gun at one of the passengers. The brother who was driving flung the car into reverse and tried to escape, but gunfire filled the car, and both brothers were hit. Both were transported for medical care. Francisco died at 10:45 a.m. May 20, and Miguel's death came several hours later.

Francisco Sanchez, 21

Francisco Sanchez, 21, a Latino man, was killed in the same double homicide that took the life of his younger brother, above, at 6308 Eastern Ave. He died at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, May 20.

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Raymond Garcia, 16

Raymond Garcia, 16, a Latino youth, was shot in the head at 1153 Colony Drive in Pomona, and died at 1:53 a.m. Sunday, May 20.

Andrew Santistevan, 20

Andrew Santistevan, 20, a Latino young man, was shot dead and three other people were left in critical condition after a shooting at a party at 9632 Rex Road in Pico Rivera shortly after midnight Saturday, May 20. He died at the scene at 12:42 a.m.

The other victims, two young Latino men and a Latina woman in her early 20s, were at two local hospitals with trauma centers. Sheriff's investigators said members of rival gangs found themselves at a party together, and a shootout erupted.