Shooting death of Assemblyman Gatto’s dad jolts L.A. neighborhood

The shooting death of Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s father in their Silver Lake home Wednesday jolted an otherwise safe neighborhood as residents awoke to find the area swarming with police.

Among them was L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who told The Times he was saddened to learn Gatto’s 78-year-old father, Joseph, had been “murdered in his home.”

“I’ve been to crime scenes before, but when you know the people it’s worse, you see the sun rise and you know the sun is not rising for that person and that family,” LaBonge said. “It’s very sad.”

Joseph Gatto -- a longtime arts teacher and accomplished jewelry designer -- was found dead and slumped over a desk at the home in the 2800 block of Bright Lane about 8:15 p.m., Los Angeles police Lt. Richard Parks said.

Police are looking into the possibility that Gatto may have been targeted because of his jewelry-making profession. The house was ransacked, but it was unclear what, if anything, had been stolen.

A 15-member team from LAPD’s robbery-homicide division is working the case.

HOMICIDE REPORT: Tracking killings in Los Angeles County

Mike Gatto -- a Democrat who represents the 43rd District, which includes Silver Lake, Burbank, Glendale and part of the La Crescenta foothills region -- was en route from Sacramento on Thursday morning, having missed the last flight out the night before.

Reached by phone, he said his sister made the discovery after she hadn’t heard from their father all day.

The shooting death was the first homicide of the year in what is otherwise a relatively safe neighborhood, according to the L.A. Times’ Homicide Report database.

About a dozen TV news trucks were camped outside the Silver Lake home Thursday morning, where police tape blocked the entrance to Bright Lane. Detectives huddled together about halfway up the road.

Joggers and dog walkers made their way along a dirt pathway across the street as some stopped to ask what was going on. Some drivers, already slowed by the cameras spilling into the street, also stopped to ask reporters what had happened.

Deputy Police Chief Kirk Albanese told KTLA-TV that the Silver Lake enclave is “a good area” with “good community members” who care about the neighborhood.

“We’re going to knock on doors in the community, look at video, talk to neighbors about what they may have seen or heard,” Albanese said. “We’re going to do our best to solve the crime.”

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Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com