Troy Green Jr., 23

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Troy Green Jr., 23, a black young man, was shot and killed at the intersection of 75th Street and Parmelee Avenue in an unincorporated area of Florence about 9:50 p.m. Saturday, April 26.

No one reported the shooting when it happened. Later, someone found Green’s dead body on the street and called 911. According to L.A. County Sheriff’s Det. Robert Harris, a Latino man walked up to Green, who was on foot, shot him, then fled.

Green was homeless and had recently moved from Clearwater, Fla. He was a paranoid schizophrenic whose symptons had surfaced only a few years before, Harris said. He had a partner and child in Florida, pictured at right. But with the onset of his illness, he had begun to wander. His family begged him to come home. Instead, he made his way to Los Angeles with a companion for unknown reasons, arriving here in February.

Green is typical of many mentally-ill murder victims. Living on the streets, or in group homes, they are exceptionally vulnerable to homicide. Exposed to some of society’s most dangerous people, they have little means of protecting themselves, and their erratic behavior sometimes provokes violent responses--something which may have occurred in Green’s case, said Harris. Harris described Green’s family as devastated. Anyone with information is asked to call Sheriff’s Homicide: (323)890-5500. --Jill Leovy/LAT