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View Winners → Crime Oct 28, 2023
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In addition to a fatal shooting in Pasadena and an officer-involved shooting in Alhambra, gun violence occurred a number of times elsewhere throughout Los Angeles County over the last seven days.
Man, woman wounded in South Los Angeles shooting
A 53-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman were hospitalized Saturday after they were shot in the Vermont Knolls area of South Los Angeles, west of Inglewood.
Los Angeles Police officers were called at 11:05 p.m. Friday to the 1600 block of West Manchester Avenue and Denker Avenue, west of South Normandie Avenue regarding a shots fired call. Upon their arrival, they were told the victims were at the location when a suspect fired several shots into a crowd, wounding both victims, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service.
The victims were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
There was no suspect description.
Arrest made in man found inside drum in Malibu
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the killing of a man whose body was discovered in a 55-gallon drum on a beach in Malibu, authorities said Friday.
Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, is set to be arraigned next Friday on a murder charge stemming from the death of 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy on or about July 27, along with other charges.
Murphy’s body was found inside the drum July 31 at the 23200 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department official told reporters at the scene that the drum had been seen in the water at Malibu Lagoon State Beach the previous night by sanitation workers, but that they were unable to retrieve it.
A lifeguard spotted the same barrel the next morning and was able to bring it to shore, then opened it and discovered the body inside.
Sheriff’s homicide investigators determined that Murphy was shot, killed and stuffed inside the barrel. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to records from the county medical examiner’s office.
The murder charge includes an allegation that Simmons personally used a handgun during the commission of the crime.
Simmons is also charged with three counts of criminal threats involving separate victims on July 27 and Sept. 2, along with one count of attempted robbery Sept. 2 in El Monte. The criminal complaint alleges that he personally used bear repellent spray during the crimes in September, and that he had prior convictions from 2006 for grand theft of a firearm and 2008 for first-degree burglary.
Simmons was arrested Oct. 3 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and has remained behind bars since then in lieu of more than $3.2 million bail, according to county jail records.
A second defendant, Dennis Eugene Vance, 41, is charged with a felony count of being an accessory after the fact. He is free on bond while awaiting arraignment next week, jail records show.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department noted in a statement that the motive for the killing remains unknown, but that “both suspects in the case are known to be acquaintances of the victim.”
Two shot, one fatally, in Sun Valley; suspects sought
Authorities on Friday sought the public’s help to find two suspects in a shooting in Sun Valley that left a man dead and another person wounded.
The shooting occurred about 5:15 p.m. Thursday in the 11100 block of Arminta Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
“The investigation revealed a light-colored SUV drove on Arminta Street,” an LAPD statement said. “Two passengers exited the SUV and both suspects appeared to be armed. The suspects fired in the direction of the group standing in the driveway. Two victims were stuck by gunfire.”
A 45-year-old man died at a hospital, and the other person was hospitalized in stable condition, police said. Authorities withheld the name of the fatally wounded man, pending notification of relatives. The survivor’s name was not released.
A motive for the crime was not known. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call homicide detectives at 818-374-9550, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website lacrimestoppers.org.
Police shoot at suspect at Legacy High School
Police on Friday were continuing the search for a suspect who tried to run over a Los Angeles Unified School District police officer with an SUV during a football game at Legacy High School in South Gate, causing another officer to open fire at the suspect.
The shooting was reported just after 9:30 p.m. Thursday during a senior night football game in the 5200 block of Tweedy Boulevard. Prior to the shooting, an LAUSD officer spotted a person with a gun and attempted to detain them but the suspect ran away and jumped into the SUV, Fox 11 reported.
Officers from the South Gate Police Department and LAUSD responded to the shooting, KABC 7 reported.
After police shot at the suspect, the suspect crashed into a parked car and ran away from the scene.
One LAUSD officer was taken to a hospital with minor injuries due to the suspect running over their foot, according to Fox 11.
The campus was placed on lockdown after the shooting.
At least one person injured in Toluca Lake shooting
At least one person was injured Thursday in a shooting in Toluca Lake.
Officers responded to the 4600 block of Cahuenga Boulevard, just north of the Ventura (134) Freeway, around 5:20 p.m. to a report regarding shots fired, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took the unidentified victim to a hospital in unknown condition.
Police said at least three male suspects fled the scene in a white sedan heading southbound on Cahuenga Boulevard, prompting officers to set up a perimeter to locate them.
The shooting occurred 10 days after a triple fatal shooting on Oct. 16 in the parking lot of Ernie’s Mexican Restaurant near Lankershim Boulevard and Moorpark Street, less than a mile from the scene of Thursday’s shooting.
The suspects in the earlier shooting remained at large.
Shooting in Inglewood leaves one dead, one wounded
Inglewood police Wednesday were investigating a shooting that left one man dead and another wounded.
The shooting was reported at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday and Inglewood Police Department officers responded to Venice Way and Victor Avenue where they found the two victims, KNBC 4 reported.
Jose Cubillos, 29, of Los Angeles, died at the scene, according to the LA County Department of Medical Examiner. The other man was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
KNBC reported earlier that night there was a two-car crash at Glenway Drive and Victor Avenue that might have involved one of the victims.
Police cordoned off a large area from Venice Way between Victor and Beach avenues as they searched the area for suspects and evidence.
Fox 11 reported the suspects in the shooting also might have been involved in the collision and ran away from the scene.
No arrests were reported, and no suspect information was available. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call homicide detectives at 310-412-5246, or the 24-hour tipline 888-41-CRIME.
2 dead in apparent murder-suicide in North Hollywood identified
A 48-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man who died in an apparent murder-suicide in North Hollywood were identified Monday by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded around 7:45 p.m. Friday to the 6500 block of Riverton Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Kittridge Street regarding an assault with a deadly weapon and a shots fired call.
A woman was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside an SUV with the engine running in a residential area, according to police and reports from the scene. The Medical Examiner identified her as Angelica Chavez, who died at the scene in what the office deemed a homicide.
Two houses away, police found Cesar Robles dead in a driveway by from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the Medical Examiner records reports.
Neighbors told NBC4 they believed the man and woman were married.
No additional information was immediately available.
Man killed in Long Beach shooting; suspect sought
Authorities sought the public’s help Monday to solve the killing of a man who was gunned down at 14th Street Park in Long Beach.
Officers went to 14th Street and Palmer Court about 2:35 p.m. Sunday on a report of a gunshot victim at the scene, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
“Upon arrival, officers located a male adult victim on the ground, near 14th Street and Palmer Court, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body,” police said in a statement.
Thomas Ferguson, 33, of Fontana, died at a hospital, police said.
“Through their preliminary investigation, detectives determined the victim was inside 14th Street Park when he was shot,” police said. “The suspect fled the scene before police arrived.”
Investigators were unsure of a motive for the crime, police said.
“Detectives believe there were multiple people in or near 14th Street Park when the shooting occurred and are seeking the public’s assistance for any additional information,” police said.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at 562-570-7244, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. Tipsters may also use the website lacrimestoppers.org.
Man and woman wounded in downtown LA shooting
A man and a woman were wounded in a shooting downtown, authorities said Monday.
The shooting was reported about 8 p.m. Sunday at San Pedro and Seventh streets, according to a dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center.
A 51-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and a 57-year-old woman was wounded in the left shoulder, she said.
The victims were standing outside in the commercial area when they heard what they thought were fireworks and realized they had been shot, she said.
Paramedics took the victims to a hospital where their vital signs were stable, the dispatcher said.
Man killed in Compton shooting
An investigation was underway Sunday evening in Compton, where a man was shot to death.
The shooting was reported at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday in the 15100 block of White Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The victim Jose Bustos, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
Additional information about the victim and suspects was not immediately available.
Anyone with information was asked to call sheriff’s homicide detectives at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
