Homicide Report: 12 homicides last week, all but one were gunshot victims

Coroner's officials reported 12 killings in Los Angeles County between April 20 and Sunday, bringing the year-to-date total to 211, according to data collected for the Times' Homicide Report database. Countywide homicide numbers this year remain lower than previous years: There were 300 killings during the same period in 2008, and 240 last year.

All but one of last week's victims were shot to death; two were killed by police. Arrests have been made in connection with at least two killings, including the stabbing death of Timothy Hillis, 62, at a motel in Torrance. 

Authorities arrested Edward Martinez, 64, on April 20, the day Hillis was killed, based on the accounts of several eyewitnesses. Martinez has been charged with murder.

Timothy Monroe, 72, and Ramond Allen, 36, were both shot in Watts in incidents that took place about one mile apart. The area has seen 49 homicides since January 2007.

Although they died one day apart, authorities said Monroe had been in the hospital for three months after he was shot by assailants that walked up to him while he was while working on a car outside a home in the afternoon of Jan. 8.

Allen was shot several times while walking inside the Jordan Downs Housing Development about 4:20 a.m. Saturday, April, 24, authorities said. He died at a hospital later that day.

Two men were shot and killed by police.

Julio Garcia, 46, was shot by a Maywood police officer Thursday, April 22, in the 8300 block of Atlantic Avenue in Cudahy, according to authorities. The incident took place shortly before 9:30 a.m. and Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later.

No officers were injured in the incident, authorities said. The shooting is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Lejoy Grissom, 27, was shot by a Culver City police officer April 25. Authorities said Grissom had been pulled over by police because he matched the description of an armed robbery suspect who, a short time later, had brandished a chrome gun while stealing from an electronics store. Grissom's 20-year-old sister Layla, who police said was driving the car, was arrested.

A defense attorney who was nearby and said she witnessed the shooting told the Associated Press that Grissom had his hands in the air when he was shot, an account police said was at odds with other eyewitness statements.

The Times' Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

-- Sarah Ardalani

Map shows locations of recent homicides. Source: Homicide Report

Comments

[james andrews]

Look up violent crime in Britain. 6 stabbing deaths a week. It isn't the weapon used, it is the violent scum behind it. The best defense is a weapon of your own. When seconds count the police are only minutes away. Take care of yourself and your family so your not standing on principle at your families funeral

[Benny]

What do you expect in a WILD WILD WEST COUNTRY?!!

[Bob]

Let me guess, we need to ban all guns so that magically all these guns would have never existed, right? Because obviously it was law abiding citizens running around with legally purchased and documented guns that were killing people!

[Charles]

To all you NRA pukes, look at the statistics. Like our friend James points out, in Britain - 6 stabbing deaths a week. Here, just in one city, 11 shooting deaths. It's a lot easier to shoot someone from a distance. It takes stones to walk up to someone and stab him. Gun control won't completely eliminate violent crime, but it will save a lot of lives. Imagine how many more would die needlessly if we all carried guns. People would die just because they looked at another person the wrong way.

[Charles]

Oh sure, don't bother banning guns because it won't take all the guns off the streets. That's probably true. Let's do this, keep the guns on the streets but price the bullets way out of reach. Like Chris Rock once said: "keep the guns but charge $5,000 per bullet".

[phoenixandrew]

Eleven of those twelve victims would still be alive today had it not been for the easy access to guns.

[Joe Torres]

Nonsense, Bob. Canada has about as many guns as we do per capita, but only 7-10 gun deaths per year on average if I remember correctly. It's apparently our culture of gun-loving, gun-toting, fear-mongored, murderous citizens that have more to do with it than gun ownership on it's own.

[K.R.]

What a surprise....no murders North of the 10 and West of Downtown....What is the difference between that part of town and the areas where the murders happened?...Lets see....

[repo4sale]

LA stands for Last Aloha!!!

[Chico]

Ban guns. Banning drugs has worked spectacularly and it will work for guns

[phil]

Your headline reads "12 victims, all but 1 shot". Maybe your headline should read "12 victims, none had a right to self defense'.

When will California politician get it. Most of the nation allows "licensed" concealed carry. Whether you choose to carry a weapon or not should be your choice, as it is in most states.

I wonder how many dead innocent victims would be alive today if they had that "right". Even to simply display the fact that they are armed usually ends the confrontation. Unfortunately, in California only the police have the right to self defense 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their lives are more important to them, then mines is to me and my family.

[phil]

Regarding Charles remark about "NRA Pukes" and his British statistics. He obviously believes that an organization that has been around since before Abraham Lincoln and who promotes gun safety and protection of a constitutional right is to blame for anything related to guns.

Try this headline Charles "Criminal from London attacks law abiding citizen in Los Angeles with a knife, get shot, loses". Never take a knife to a gun fight Charlie.

[MM stuck in L.A.]

Quote: "Charles"-
To all you NRA pukes, look at the statistics. Like our friend James points out, in Britain - 6 stabbing deaths a week. Here, just in one city, 11 shooting deaths. It's a lot easier to shoot someone from a distance. It takes stones to walk up to someone and stab him. Gun control won't completely eliminate violent crime, but it will save a lot of lives. Imagine how many more would die needlessly if we all carried guns. People would die just because they looked at another person the wrong way.

Maybe you should get the hell out of this country and move to a "safe" EU country like the UK.
What a hypocrite you are.

[American 1776]

Just how many of those killed were shot by law abiding citizens. NONE

[LongBeach]

Charlie.. do you really think its the law abiding citizens out there shooting at people... I think not...these street killers are worthless thugs that have zero respect.. get a clue...you don't want be known as a DOLT!

[American 1776]

Just how many of those 12 were shot by law abiding citizens? My guess NONE.

[Ryan]

How many of the guns used in these crimes were legally purchased? I'm gonna guess NONE OF THEM.

[Conscious Observer]

How about living a good healthy life by practicing introspective spiritual
awareness? The solutions suggested by many of the posters is merely a
political ideal and a semblance of the deeply rooted condition that has
infected the human spirit.

[Claymore]

"NRA pukes" ? How about this : there were almost 34,000 deaths from motor vehicle accidents last year. Imagine how many of those people would still be alive if we banned cars. And if we banned swimming pools, then there could be no accidental drownings by children of inattentive parents. And, we should ban war, too. That would keep our troops from dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. And if we banned people from having children, then in 100 years, there would be no way anyone could die from guns. Let's just call it thinning the herd, because- bottom line- People are the problem. You can't legislate common sense.

[Granny H]

There's a lot of difference between "People who arm themselves" and "Criminals with guns" ... and banning firearms is NOT going to change that. Criminals will still get their guns.

[Auntie Fascist]

3 Shootings in Northeast Los Angeles in as many days, two resulting in death, not by cops. Driveby -- all of them. Why weren't those posted? Two shooting victims were teenagers.

I would love how the 80 million guns in possession of "responsible gun owners" have yet to actually STOP the murder and crime rate.

Can someone point me to the actual crime stats on that one? How many crimes are thwarted by our NRA and 2nd Amendment pals? Please elaborate.

30 thousand children wounded or killed from gun violence each year in the U.S. That's more than American soldiers in all three of our wars. Hmm. Strange math.

Strange fetish this wanting power over the other...

[Eric T.]

I think the headline is a little misleading because two of the homicides were committed by police. I would hope those were justifiable.

I agree with a lot of the comments here though- whatever your take on gun control - the issue is not simply guns. It's poverty, it's drugs, its broken communities with broken schools caught in a cycle of violence and hopelessness.

Even if we were able to magically make all of the guns disappear, there would still be a big problem here. Murders are merely a symptom.

[American 1776]

Auntie Fascist, actually I've used a gun 3 times in my life to prevent a crime. 1st when I was 16, home baby sitting and a man broke into the house. 2nd time I was about 37 when a purse snatcher wanted my purse. He had my purse and I had my legally carried gun, and the last time to prevent a rape. Did I have to shoot anyone, no. Did I report any of these encounters, no, would I do it again if nessecery, yes. Learn how to use one, and pray you never have to, but be prepared to use on should you have to.