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Guillermo Lopez, a 25-year-old Latino was killed in a possible gang shooting at the corner of Washington Place and Wade Street at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.
Police say Lopez and a 19-year-old friend were at a parking lot when two male Latinos, possibly gang members, approached them on foot and confronted them. Both assailants were armed with handguns, and one of them asked Lopez and his friend where they were from, police said. The victims responded that they were not gang members. The suspects opened fire.
Lopez was struck multiple times and collapsed in the parking lot, where he died. His friend was also hit multiple times and taken to a hospital.
Investigators described one of the assailants as 18- to 20-years-old, 5 feet 5, 180 pounds and wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt and blue pants. The other was described as the same age, 5 feet 9, 150 pounds, with a dark complexion and also wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt and black pants. They were last seen driving away in a gray, four-door Honda, heading northbound on Wade Street.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Pacific Division homicide detectives at (310) 482-6316 or (310) 482-6349.
Alberto Valadez, a 22-year-old Latino, died of a gunshot wound on Sunday, March 1, 2009, in the 7000 block of Compton Avenue in Florence, according to coroner's records.
Valadez was shot along with two other men at about 12:27 a.m. while they were attending a party. All three were taken to a hospital where Valadez was pronounced dead and the two other men were stabilized, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
There are no known motive or suspects in the homicide.
-- Anthony Pesce
Raymond Davis, a 22-year-old black man, was fatally shot in the 6600 block of South Vermont Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 9.
Davis, of Inglewood, was standing outside the Safari Bar when shots were fired, and one of the rounds hit him in the stomach. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Witnesses said they saw a man leave the area, driving north on Vermont Avenue in a black vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department's South Bureau homicide unit at (213) 485-1383; during non-business hours call (877) LAPD-24-7.
--Andrew Blankstein
A 21-year-old Latino man who fell into a coma after being beaten unconscious in the 6660 block of Hollywood Boulevard died about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6.
Officers discovered the unidentified man lying on the sidewalk with a severe head injury on Saturday, Nov. 1. He was taken to a hospital, where his fight for life ended five days later.
Los Angeles Police Department investigators said the suspects in the fatal beating were black men wearing black shirts and blue jeans. One man is believed to be 20 to 25 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing from 140 to 170 pounds. The other was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.
There is no immediate motive for the crime, in which the suspects repeatedly punched the victim, causing the head injuries. Anyone with any information about this incident is encouraged to call Hollywood homicide detectives at (213) 972-2910. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour toll-free number: (877) LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters "LAPD."
--Andrew Blankstein
William Chapman, a 32-year black man, was shot to death in the 4500 block of Rodeo Lane in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.
Chapman was in the courtyard area of an apartment building when he was struck by rounds fired by unknown suspects, who promptly fled the area, Los Angeles police said. Chapman died at a hospital.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South Bureau homicide Dets. Charles Geiger and Richard Gordon at (213) 485-1383. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number: (877) LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters "LAPD."
--Richard Winton
Carrington Henderson, a black man of unknown age, was killed shortly after midnight Saturday, Nov. 1, in the 21000 block of West 48th Street.
Henderson was standing in the street when two unidentified suspects in a mid-sized vehicle and a sport utility vehicle shot him multiple times. The suspects fled east on 48th Street, driving about two blocks before shooting at a group of individuals. No one was hit in the second shooting, police said. Henderson was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Southwest Division homicide Dets. Robert Lait and Vincent Carreon at (213) 485-1383. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number (877) LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with LAPD.
--Richard Winton
Eric Perez, a 26-year-old Latino, died in a double shooting in the 1000 block of Lagoon Avenue at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.
When police arrived, they found two male victims bleeding from gunshot wounds. Witnesses told police that two men driving a Honda sedan pulled up, and one man got out and fired several shots.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, where Perez died at 6:15 a.m. from a wound to his upper torso. The second victim, whose name was not released, was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. The shooting was believed to be gang-related.
--Richard Winton
Darren Turner, a 40-year-old black man, was shot and killed Monday, Nov. 3, about 3 a.m. when he answered his front door in the 1000 block of South Western Ave. and was confronted by two black men, one armed with a gun.
The gunman fired one round at Turner, then both assailants fled on foot. Turner was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South Bureau Homicide Dets. Chris Barling or Lyman Doster at (310) 482-6316 or (310) 482-6349. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour line at (877) LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also send a text message to “CRIMES” with a cellphone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web Tips. When using a cellphone, messages should begin with “LAPD.”
--Richard Winton
Damian Cook, 39, was shot and killed in the 1100 block of West 90th Street about 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. Authorities believe the shooting may have been connected to an attempted robbery and are looking for two men last seen running from the scene.
--Richard Winton
Jonathan Estrada, 27, a Latino man from Pomona, was shot and killed in the 400 block of Lucera Court shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.
Estrada died at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center of wounds to his upper body. Authorities say he apparently confronted two armed men who were attempting to steal his girlfriend's car. One assailant was described as a light-skinned Latino in his mid- to late-20s, about 5 feet 9 with a thin build and blond hair. The second was described as a Latino in his mid-40s with a medium complexion, a mustache, a goatee and 5 feet 4 to 5 feet 7.
Vanessa Malaepule wasn't homeless. She lived with her mother and six children in a modest stucco house in Long Beach. But about five weeks ago, she began dating a man at a roadside encampment, and on Monday her family lamented that the relationship led her to be, as one relative put it, "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Her body -- along with those of three men and another woman -- was found Sunday, Nov. 2, at what appeared to be a homeless camp near the 405 Freeway in Long Beach, authorities said. All had been shot.
Along with Malaepule, 34, authorities identified Lorenzo Perez Villacana, 44, a denizen of the dark hideaway beneath low-hanging boughs of bottlebrush trees next to the Santa Fe Avenue offramp. As investigators continued to search for clues, 13 rof Malaepule's relatives gathered at the encampment to light candles and pray.
"It's sad, real sad," said Fauamoa Palaita, one of the relatives. "I feel hurt. We can't believe it."
The five bodies were discovered after an anonymous tipster called police Sunday morning. The next day, police were still searching for a motive -- and hoping the mysterious informant would call back.
At a news conference Monday, Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts described the other victims as a Middle Eastern man in his 40s, a white man in his 50s and a Latino woman in her 20s. Their names were withheld pending notification of next of kin. It was unclear which of the men was Malaepule's boyfriend, though her family said he was among the dead.
All of the victims died of multiple gunshot wounds, Batts said, and investigators have received reports that "there may have been drug sales" at the encampment.
News of the shootings stunned social workers who assist the estimated 1,100 chronically homeless men and women believed to live in the maze of freeway crawl spaces, underbrush and crude shelters in the Los Angeles River corridor.
"This is devastating news for us -- unexpected and horrific," said Susan Price, homeless services officer with the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. "People are very concerned about this level of violence."
Malaepule, who was unemployed, lived about two miles from the crime scene with her mother and six children -- ages 8, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 16 -- who joined other relatives visiting the camp Monday.
To reach the secluded camp on the northern edge of the city, Malaepule's relatives walked down a narrow dirt path bordered by a chain-link fence topped by razor wire on one side and lined with thick brush on the other.
By Monday morning, after about 12 hours of work, Long Beach homicide investigators had finished combing the area for evidence and had removed the tape marking the crime scene. But there were still some remnants of the camp, including soiled brown rugs spread over the dirt, gallon-sized water jugs and a few large garbage bags full of fast-food wrappers.
Malaepule's mother, who declined to give her name, placed an armful of yellow lilies and white roses on the ground. Then she leaned a framed photograph of her daughter against the flowers. Other relatives lighted tall votive candles.
"She was a good person," said Malaepule's sister, Veronica Puaauli, 27. "Very funny. Everybody loved her."
Some relatives expressed mixed feelings about her boyfriend. Malaepule would visit the camp to spend time with him, they said.
"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Fiaora Tuitasi, 21. "I met him two or three times. He was really nice, and really really cool."
Malaepule's uncle, Ilager McMoore, disagreed. "Some people say he was no good," said Malaepule, 42. "He got in a fight with a guy from another group about a week ago."
As McMoore and other family members surveyed the barren camp, they were accompanied by a self-described homeless advocate who called himself Apostle Larry Mays. While the family prayed over the burning candles and a framed photo of Malaepule, Mays stepped forward.
"We pray the enemy who did this will be caught," he said. "In the name of Jesus we pray."
Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner's office said autopsies and toxicology tests would be conducted on the bodies, which were discovered on the ground in an area 30 to 40 feet wide.
Police were directed to the crime scene by an anonymous tipster who called from a pay phone Sunday morning. Police have asked the caller to come forward to offer more information.
Although Winter said the killings apparently occurred Saturday afternoon or night, neighbors reported hearing yelling and gunfire, and then a car speeding away after midnight.
News reports of the grisly slayings moved Fabiola Navarro, 28, to come to the crime scene Monday. She feared that her sister was among the dead.
"The last time I heard from her was a month ago," said Navarro, who had spent hours driving along freeways in search of homeless people who might have information about her sister.
She was somewhat relieved to learn late Monday that the Latino woman who died was far younger than her sister.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Long Beach Police Department Homicide Dets. Mark McGuire or Hugo Cortes at (562) 570-7244.
--Louis Sahagun and Ari B. Bloomekatz
In the wake of a spate of violence over the Halloween weekend, when at least 17 people were killed in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Police Department Chief William J. Bratton said additional officers have been deployed to South L.A.
LAPD commanders said a combination of unrelated gang and drug activity may have been behind some of the attacks. Despite the uptick, violent crime in Los Angeles is down 5.2% and homicides are down 8.8%, compared with the same time last year, Bratton said. The chief told the Los Angeles Police Commission this week that gang-related crimes have declined about 11%, and gang-related killings are down 25%. Bratton said the department was also gearing up for a push on gang crime after the beginning of the year.
--Richard Winton
Dennis Brown Jr., a young black man, was shot as he was walking to a store near Century Boulevard and Central Avenue in Watts just before 1 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.
He died a short time later at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood. Police said Brown was not a gang member. He was going to night school. In his wallet were pictures of his 1-year-old son. Brown had recently registered to vote for the first time. He was reading a book by Sen. Barack Obama in the days before the shooting, family members said.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Los Angeles Police Dets. Mark Hahn or Natalie Plascencia at (213) 485-4341.
--Richard Winton
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
 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
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
 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
 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
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
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
 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
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
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