South Los Angeles: Man, 37, is fatally shot at house

Andre Lashawn Hickman, a 37-year-old black man, was shot at a residence in Lennox at 2:40 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said Hickman went to his girlfriend's house on 94th Street and allegedly threatened to kill her. In response, the woman took out a pistol and shot Hickman multiple times, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

—Andrew Blankstein

Hawaiian Gardens: Man, 22, is stabbed to death outside grocery store

Marco Antonio Vasquez, a 22-year-old Latino man, was stabbed to death outside a grocery store in the 12000 block of Carson Street at 10:25 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

Vasquez was stabbed after he had an argument with someone that escalated into a physical altercation, said investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

Mid-City: 16-year-old boy is fatally shot on sidewalk

Jayquan Johnson, a 16-year-old black youth, was fatally shot in the 5100 block of Pickford Street at 9:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20. The teenager, a 10th-grader at Hamilton High School, was hit once and pronounced dead at a hospital.

LAPD investigators said Johnson was standing on the sidewalk with friends when a vehicle with several suspects inside pulled up and fired multiple shots. Those in the group ran for cover, but one of the bullets struck Johnson.  The suspects fled in the car, striking  parked vehicles as they sped away.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Wilshire homicide detectives at (213) 473-0446 or call (877) LAWFULL (529-3855).

—Andrew Blankstein

Arleta: Man, 22, is fatally shot

Filberto Ramos, a 22-year-old Latino man, was shot to death near Woodale Avenue and Filmore Street in Arleta about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division station responded to a radio call of a shooting and found Ramos bleeding from a gunshot wound. He was taken by paramedics to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives said two assailants drove up in a vehicle, approached Ramirez and shot him. A motive for the shooting was being investigated.

Anyone with information is asked to call Foothill Division homicide detectives at (818) 834-3115 or the 24-hour, toll-free number (877) LAWFULL.

—Andrew Blankstein

Long Beach: Man, 30, is fatally shot inside restaurant

Isai Jimenez, a 30-year-old Latino male from Long Beach, was killed inside a restaurant in the 400 block of West Pacific Coast Highway at 2:55 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

Long Beach police said an unknown assailant approached Jimenez, pulled out a handgun and shot him several times in the upper and lower body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call Long Beach homicide investigators at (562) 570-7244.

—Andrew Blankstein

South Los Angeles: Man, 38, is fatally shot outside house

Damon Lamont Jones was fatally shot as he stood with another man in front of a residence in the 600 block of West 68th Street in South Los Angeles about 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20.

The 38-year-old Los Angeles resident was approached by two men who walked up and yelled out a gang reference before opening fire, Los Angeles police detectives said. Jones and another man tried to flee into a nearby residence but each were hit with multiple gunshots.

Jones died at a local hospital. The other victim was treated and expected to survive.

Police believe the motive for the shooting is gang-related, although there was no specific description available. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD South Bureau detectives at (213) 485-1383 or call toll free at 877-LAWFULL.

—Andrew Blankstein

Alhambra: Man, 31, left to die in medical facility lobby

Luciano Teadoro Brash, 31, of Los Angeles was dropped off at the lobby of an orthopedic imaging center in the 700 block of South Garfield Avenue about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21,  after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators said one of the men who dropped Brash at the facility was white and the other Asian. Their images were captured on surveillance video at the medical facility and they fled in a white G35 Infinity with tinted windows and 20-inch chrome rims.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

Near Watts: Man, 28, is shot and killed outside a party

Carlos Pulido, a 28-year-old man, was shot and killed outside a party in unincorporated Los Angeles County near Watts in the 8200 block of Croesus Avenue shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

Pulido was discovered bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. He reportedly was shot outside a party he was attending and pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide investigators at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

Pico Rivera: Double homicide ends year of relative calm

John Schula, 30, a Latino male from Montebello, and a 17-year-old boy were fatally wounded in what sheriff's deputies described as a gang-related shooting in the 3900 block of Aleman Avenue at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

The double homicide ended a year of relative calm in Pico Rivera. It took place near where 57-year-old grandmother Maria Hicks was gunned down in August 2007 after trying to intervene when taggers were spray-painting graffiti on a wall in her neighborhood.

Witnesses told Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide investigators that Schula was talking with another man in the front yard of a residence when several males in a car drove up, got out and confronted the victim. Words escalated to fisticuffs before multiple shots were fired.

The other victim was identified as Manuel Angel Torres, 17, of La Puente, who was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

Pico Rivera: Boy, 17, and man, 30, are fatally shot

Manuel Angel Torres, 17, a Latino male from La Puente, was fatally wounded in a double shooting in the 3900 block of Aleman Avenue at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

The incident began when two men were talking in the front yard of a residence and several men in a car drove up, got out and confronted the victim. There was a fight, then gunshots.

Torres was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other man, identified as 30-year-old John Shula, was pronounced dead at the scene. Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators believe the incident is gang-related.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

Unincorporated Whittier: Man, 21, is fatally shot outside a party

Juan Duarte, a 21-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed in the 10900 block of Carmenita Road about 12:20 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19.

Sheriff's investigators said Duarte had left a party he was attending when he and friends were approached by several men. There was a fight and one of the men pulled out a handgun and shot Duarte in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide investigators at (323) 890-5500.

—Andrew Blankstein

South L.A.: Unidentified pregnant woman is fatally shot

An unidentified pregnant woman believed to be in her 40s was killed in a shooting in the 200 block of West 71st Street in South Los Angeles at 9:50 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20.

The woman, who was shot in the stomach and the chest, was taken to a hospital, where she died. Officer Julianne Sohn of the Los Angeles Police Department said she had no information on a motive or possible suspects.

—Francisco Vara-Orta

South Los Angeles: Man, 38, is fatally shot on the street

Damon Lamont Jones, a 38-year-old black man, was shot and killed outside a house in the 600 block of West 68th Street in South Los Angeles about 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20.

Jones and another man were standing out front when at least two people walked up and opened fire on them, according to detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Division. The other victim was in stable condition.

No immediate arrests were made, and it was unclear whether there were more than two shooters involved, but the two that witnesses saw fled on foot. Based on victims' statements, police believe the shooting was gang-related.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call homicide detectives at the LAPD's South Bureau at (213) 485-1383, or, if after hours or on weekends, (877) LAWFULL.

Pomona: 5-year-old boy drowns; mother is arrested

A woman was arrested in Pomona on suspicion of drowning her 5-year-old son in a motel bathtub before trying to kill herself with over-the-counter medications, police said today.

Josie Navarro, 23, of Pomona was arrested late Monday on suspicion of killing her son, Edgar Manuel Sanchez Jr.

Police went to the motel in the 1400 block of South Garey Avenue at 9:37 p.m. Monday after the desk clerk called to report a woman was trying to commit suicide in one of the rooms, said Pomona police Sgt. Mike Olivieri.

Officers arrived to find Navarro being restrained by another person on the floor of the room, and Sanchez underwater in a nearby bathtub, Olivieri said.

"Officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boy, who seemed unresponsive," Olivieri said. "Paramedics took him to the Pomona Valley Hospital, but he had died. The officers thought they may have been able to save him but couldn't."

Navarro, who had checked into the motel earlier Monday, allegedly drowned her son and then tried to kill herself with over-the-counter sleeping aids, Olivieri said.

After police arrived, Navarro was taken to a hospital for treatment and was later released into police custody. Olivieri said the motive was not known.

Edgar's father, who was not present at the motel room, has been notified, authorities said.

A fund was established today by the Pomona Police Officers Assn. to help the boy's family. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the police station at 490 W. Mission Blvd., Pomona, CA 91766. Checks should be made out to the association with a notation on the bottom: "Edgar Sanchez Fund."

—Francisco Vara-Orta

Decline in homicides: The trend continues

Homicides remain slightly down this year compared to 2007, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department. As of Oct. 11, there had been 291 homicides in the city, compared to 316 for that same period in 2007 -- and 374 in 2006.

The latest numbers confirm a trend that began last spring. While authorities worried about a uptick in homicides due in part to gang violence, the multi-year downward trend (though much of Chief William J. Bratton's tenure as chief) appears to be continuing. Numbers from the summer suggest the decline in killing extends to some other parts of L.A. County.

Regional highlights:

77th Street Division: Down 5% from 2007.

Rampart Division: Down 6%.

Pacific Division: Up 167% (but the numbers are small: 8 so far this year, compared to 3 in 2007).

Newton Division: Down 13%

Van Nuys Division: Down 73% (3 homicides so far this year compared to 11 in 2007).

More stats are available on the LAPD website.

--Shelby Grad

South Los Angeles: Unidentified man is fatally shot

Authorities are investigating the early morning shooting death of a man at a party in South Los Angeles.

Deputies responding to reports of shots fired in the 8200 block of Croesus Avenue at 2:57 a.m. found the man, whose name had not been released this morning, lying in the driveway of the home where he had attended the party, said Deputy Art Spencer.

The man had been shot multiple times in his upper torso, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, Spencer said.

No suspect description was available this morning, and sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating, Spencer said. Anyone with information can reach detectives at (323) 890-5500.

—Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Community remembers homeless man set on fire

Some pulled up in SUVs, others came pushing shopping carts containing all their worldly possessions.

But all of the more than 300 people who filled a Los Angeles church chapel Saturday to memorialize John Robert McGraham were puzzling over the same question: Why would anyone douse a homeless man with gasoline and burn him to death?

John's life and death gives us a picture of how people in this life treat other people," said Rev. Frank M. Alton, pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Wilshire Boulevard, where McGraham's funeral service was conducted in English and Spanish. "The institutions of this community may have failed John. But the people of this community did not."

McGraham, 55, who once worked nearby as a bellman at the Ambassador Hotel, suffered from depression. For two decades he repeatedly spurned efforts of family members and others to remove him from the streets and obtain treatment for him.

But those living and working in the densely populated, diverse neighborhood around 3rd and Berendo streets fed him daily and provided him with clothing. When he was set afire the evening of Oct. 9, residents and shopkeepers rushed to extinguish the flames but were unable to save his life.

McGraham's brother and two sisters were emotional as they thanked those who had befriended him.

"I'll never pass through this neighborhood without remembering what wonderful, wonderful people are here," David McGraham pledged.

(Read the rest of Times Staff Writer Bob Pool's report here).

Eight dead in violent L.A. County weekend

At least eight people died in violence across Los Angeles County over the weekend, including five homicides during a 4 1/2 -hour stretch.

Authorities said the slayings did not appear to be connected.

The killings began in Long Beach early Saturday morning, when an unknown assailant approached Isai Jimenez, 30, at 2:55 a.m. as he sat in a restaurant in the 400 block of West Pacific Coast Highway and "shot him several times," said Long Beach Police Sgt. David Marander. Investigators believe the incident may be gang-related.

About the same time, 28-year-old Carlos Pulido was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a driveway in unincorporated Los Angeles County near Watts. Pulido was shot outside a party he was attending in the 8200 block of Croesus Avenue, said Deputy Ed Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He died at the scene.

The string of five killings in less than five hours began Saturday about 10:25 p.m., when a 22-year-old man was stabbed in Hawaiian Gardens, and ended Sunday about 2:40 a.m., when a 37-year-old man was shot in the 1300 block of West 94th Street in the Athens area of South Los Angeles, authorities said.

On Sunday afternoon, another victim -- a 16-year-old who was shot at 4th and Soto streets in Los Angeles -- was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds, the coroner's office said.

The Athens incident was at least the 15th shooting this year in the unincorporated district near the Los Angeles city border, and follows a deadly summer in the area -- eight people were killed in 11 shootings from June to late September, police said.

Authorities released the names of only two of the five victims killed in quick succession late Saturday or early Sunday. The two men, killed in Pico Rivera on Saturday night, were shot in the 3900 block of Aleman Avenue about 10:45 p.m. John Schula, 30, of Montebello was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, Manuel Angel Torres, 17, of La Puente, was taken to a hospital, where he died, authorities said.

The string of five quick slayings also included a 20-year-old man killed in an unincorporated area near Whittier about 12:21 a.m. Sunday; he was shot in the 10900 block of Carmenita Road, Hernandez said.

-Ari B. Bloomekatz

A sister's long wait to find slain brother

She knows it won't be easy.

It will be noisy and dusty. It will bring back awful memories from decades ago. And it might ultimately prove fruitless. But Sherry Barlow plans to spend this morning standing alongside the 23 Freeway in eastern Ventura County, hoping to provide her brother with a long-delayed memorial.

Authorities believe a serial killer fatally stabbed her 16-year-old brother, Roger Madison, in 1968 and buried him alongside the freeway. This week, armed with new clues, authorities began digging up sites along the freeway, prompting Barlow to fly in Thursday from Oklahoma to mount a vigil.

"Even if they don't find anything, I can stand there close to where he is and say goodbye," said Barlow, 53. "Because I never got a chance to say goodbye."

The last time anyone in his family saw Roger alive was in December 1968, when he left the family's Sylmar home after an argument with his father about smoking.

The family thought he had run away. Two years later, her mother sat down with Barlow and her younger sister Annie to tell them the bad news.

"She said she had something to tell us about Roger," Barlow said. "Me or my sister asked when he was coming home. She started crying and said he's not coming home."

Roger had been murdered, police told the family -- and not by a stranger but by a trusted friend and neighbor, Mack Ray Edwards. Married and the father of two children, Edwards lived five houses down from the Madisons and was a regular visitor.

Read Times Staff Writer Andrew Blankstein's full story here. (And follow up here).

Santa Monica: 5-year-old girl's death investigated as a homicide

Kayla Fernandez, a 5-year-old Latino girl, died at 11:33 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

Her death is being investigated as a homicide, although officials have not determined the cause of death, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Information provided by the coroner's office shows that Kayla possibly suffered from head trauma and fractures in 2003 in Northern California, where she is from, but the district attorney's office there refused to file charges because of conflicting information provided by the local hospital.

Kayla, who was born prematurely, underwent two heart surgeries in her young life. She was last living at a specialty healthcare facility in Sun Valley before being taken to the hospital.

—Amanda Covarrubias

Carson: Man, 23, is shot in the back

Christoper Don Woods, a 23-year-old black man, died of a gunshot wound to his back in the 900 block of East Pacific Street  at 9:55 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

No further details were available from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

—Amanda Covarrubias

Compton: Man, 24, is shot in the back

William Stanford Workman III, a 24-year-old black man, died after being shot in the back at Elm Street and Poinsettia Avenue at 10:21 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30.

No further details were available from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

—Amanda Covarrubias

Mid-Wilshire: Homeless man is set on fire

A homeless man died after he was doused with flammable liquid and set on fire on 3rd Street between Berendo Street and New Hampshire Avenue about 9:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9.

—Richard Winton

Carson: Woman, 30, is fatally shot in her car

Veronica Reyes, a 30-year-old Latino woman, was fatally shot as she parked her car in the 900 block of East 223rd Street at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Police are looking for her estranged husband, who has been identified as the suspect in what is being investigated as a domestic homicide.

—Andrew Blankstein

Industry: Man, 38, is killed in shooting

Oscar Torres, a 38-year-old Latino man, died in a shooting in the 2200 block of Mardel Avenue at 6:50 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

Authorities were asking for the public’s help in finding the gunman, who also critically wounded another man, said Deputy Oscar Butao of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The victims were involved in argument with a man who produced a gun and shot them both several times, Butao said. Torres was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other man was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The suspect fled in a dark-colored vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

—Amanda Covarrubias

South L.A.: Man, 33, is fatally shot in driveway

Kevin Dion Baldwin, a 33-year-old black man, was fatally shot while standing with four friends in the driveway of a residence in the 7500 block of South Figueroa Street about 10:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6.

Police said an unknown black male approached the group on foot, pulled out a handgun and fired repeatedly. Baldwin was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. A second victim was also hit multiple times and was expected to survive. A third sustained a gunshot wound to his foot and was treated at the scene.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call homcide detectives at the LAPD's South Bureau at (213) 485-1383, or, if after hours or weekends, (877) LAWFULL.

—Andrew Blankstein

South L.A.: Man, 23, is killed in drive-by shooting

Kevin Harding, a 23-year-old black man, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while standing outside a 99-Cent Store in the 4200 block of Montclair Streeet at 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2.

Harding was shot multiple times by an unknown gunman in a white, mid-sized car. After he was wounded, he ran back inside the store, fell to the ground and died.

Anyone with information is asked to calll homicide detectives at the LAPD's South Bureau at (213) 485-1383 or (877) LAWFULL.

—Andrew Blankstein

Glendale: Motorcyclist is shot on freeway

A motorcyclist was shot and killed as he was driving on the 2 Freeway at 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Detectives were trying to determine whether the unidentified motorcyclist, who is believed to be in his 30s, was part of a biker gang.

UPDATE: The victim has been identified, but a suspect has not been arrested.

—Alexandra Zavis

South L.A.: Man, 39, and girl, 16, are shot in car

Columbus Lanard Campbell, a 39-year-old black man, and Kavette Hashani Watson, a 16-year-old black girl, died in a shooting in the 3400 block of West 63rd Street at 12:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6.

They were shot as they sat in a car, police said. Campbell was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot multiple times. His friend, Kavette, also was shot multiple times, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Los Angeles police said the crime appeared to be gang-related, but they had no specific motive. Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at the LAPD's 77th Street Division at (213) 485-1383.

—Andrew Blankstein

Malibu: Homicide now suspected in couple's deaths

Robert Callender, a 63-year-old white man, and his wife, Barbara Callender, a 62-year-old white woman, from Simi Valley were found dead near their car about 600 feet down a ravine off Malibu Canyon Road on Sept. 7, 2007, about a month after they went missing.

Authorities initially believed the couple had died in a traffic accident. But on Friday, Oct. 3, detectives said that evidence found in the couple's SUV led them to treat the deaths as homicides.

"We have physical evidence that shows it was homicide," said Lt. Liam Gallagher of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He declined to say what kind of evidence was found or how the couple was killed.

The Callenders had lived in Simi Valley for more than 30 years. Robert Callender owned an information technology support company in Burbank.

—Amanda Covarrubias