Diana Tomas, 14
Diana Tomas, 14, a Latina girl, was shot in the head and left lying on a pathway next to a sound wall blocking the 101 Freeway in LAPD's Rampart Division at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. She was taken from 417 N. Lafayette Park Place near Benton Way to County-USC Medical Center, where she survived for four more days.
Diana's death on Thursday, Dec. 6, is just now being reported on the Homicide Report because she did not die immediately, and because investigators did not know who she was. Thinking she was about 20 years old, Diana was listed as "Jane Doe" at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the same afternoon Diana was shot, her mother had gone to the Rampart station to report her missing. Diana was a Virgil Middle School student who sometimes ran away from home. Officers took the report, not realizing she was the same person then lingering on a respirator at County-USC. Diana had never been arrested, so when she was fingerprinted at the hospital, police could find no match and were unable to identify her.
It took a few more days to put it together. Diana's mother heard a rumor that a young woman had been shot and returned to the station to ask if this might be her daughter. Det. J. Kessner of Rampart drove the mother to the hospital, where she saw her daughter, still alive on life support. Diana's head was so swollen from the gunshot wound that her mother had to walk around both sides of the bed to identify her in what Kessner described as a painful scene. "It was shocking to us when we found out she was 14," said Det. Fred Faustino, Rampart homicide supervisor. Diana died at 9:18 a.m. Dec. 6.
There was new tagging on the sound wall near where she fell. She may have been walking by and been caught in crossfire, Faustino said. Detectives are seeking information on the case. They are at (213) 207-2060.
The first person said they can't trust the police to do their jobs. I don't trust the gangbangers. People wake up it is your community. Raise your kids, stop blaming people, and take responsibility. People don't want the police to stop gangmembers because they have rights. I believe people don't gangmembers stopped because it is their family member. Give the police the power to stop some of these gangmembers before they commit the crime.
Posted by: mike | December 26, 2007 at 07:09 AM
Homicide Blog Reader....
What was the date of the killing of your friend? I'm going to go to the library and look up the LA Times from that week and see if what you say is true regarding the purse snatching being reported and not the homicide.
Posted by: Mark | December 26, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Im from Fla and I have read every comment here I have been looking at this webb site for a couple of months and I can't believe all the talk about race weather she was in the news or on the tv god help me so many children are dying in L A everyone should be putting up suggetions on how this can be stopped your children are dying reguardless of color. there has to be something that can be done I would be willing to do anything in my power to help. God bless you sweet heart and your family
Posted by: nola | January 01, 2008 at 08:35 PM
This is a story I did first hear about in the LA Times, and it was heartbreaking to read. It is a terrible event for anyone to be shot and left to die alone. A 14 year old -- unspeakably tragic. The second victim is Diana's mother. Unspeakable. Unimaginable.
Thank you HR for documenting this story with the detail that the newspaper missed, clearly describing an event that should never have happened.
I am left wondering how we all live in a city that produces this level of brazen violence. Where does it come from? How does it survive?
Posted by: Marie | January 03, 2008 at 03:17 PM
it takes 30 minutes for the police to come for a latina girl,but my homeboy(a black 15 year old) supposably had a gun and their there in 2 seconds w/ a helicopter too
Posted by: jazmine | March 23, 2008 at 05:07 PM
Jazmine, do you know the circumstances of what was occuring on the time of day the police responded to her body?
All you have is conjecture on what you observed between two totally unrelated incidents on two totally different days.
Perhaps you can go down to the police station(s) and sift through their records to find the status of every single patrol unit in that area and that time.
Then you can make an informed decision to whether the police were slow to respond or not.
Posted by: Mark | March 24, 2008 at 10:30 AM
i knew this girl and is really sad that she got killed she had a whole life more to live and it really sucks that someone had to take her life away rip diana tomas
Posted by: User | October 01, 2009 at 12:24 PM