Alleged gang members charged with murder in Santa Monica slaying
Two men with alleged gang ties were charged with murder and attempted murder Thursday in connection to a shooting earlier this week near Santa Monica College, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
In addition, a third man was charged with being an accessory in the shooting, which killed one man and left another in critical condition.
Christopher Chonan Osumi, 19, Meliton Lorenzo Lopez, 23, and Noah Jason Farris, 32, were scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The shooting was reported Tuesday morning in an alley in the 1500 block of Michigan Avenue. Police say a gunman walked up to two men and opened fire.
Police identified the slain man as Gil Verastegui, 29, who lived in Santa Monica. The second victim is in critical condition at a local hospital.
Osumi and Lopez are charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder with gang allegations, a statement from the district attorney’s office said. Prosecutors will ask that bail be set at $3 million each for Osumi and Lopez and $500,000 for Farris.
If convicted, prosecutors said Osumi and Lopez face up to life in state prison. Farris faces up to seven years.
The attack was city’s third shooting incident in five days, including a rampage Friday in which a gunman killed four people and fatally wounded another before he was slain by officers. Police said the incidents were not related.
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