Suspect in 3 Slayings Called ‘a Gentle Giant’

At 6 feet 2 and more than 220 pounds, Rickey S. Ross was known by some of his colleagues as “a gentle giant,” a religious man and conscientious deputy sheriff who had never been seriously disciplined in his 18 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“He was a very good officer, very well regarded,” said a fellow deputy who has known Ross for years. “He was highly religious. Nobody would have ever thought of Rickey Ross. He was well-liked by everyone on the department.”

Ross’ fellow deputies said they were shocked Friday by news that Ross, a narcotics investigator, allegedly had been caught smoking cocaine with a frightened prostitute and was subsequently booked for investigation of murder in the shooting deaths of three South-Central prostitutes in 1988.

“Everybody is absolutely astounded,” said Sheriff’s Capt. Bob Wilber, Ross’ supervisor. “I’ve talked to numerous officers and supervisors, and everybody has acted with disbelief to this, including myself.”

Since joining the Sheriff’s Department in 1971, Ross has worked several assignments, including stints driving a patrol car and at the Men’s Central Jail. For the last 14 years, he has been assigned to the Sheriff’s Narcotics Bureau, where Sheriff Sherman Block said Ross has proven to be “a very effective investigator.” Most recently, Ross worked out of the bureau’s office at Los Angeles International Airport with federal and local narcotics investigators.

One sheriff’s deputy who worked with Ross at the inmate reception center at the Los Angeles County Central Jail called Ross “down to earth, happy go lucky.”

Drank Occasionally

Colleagues said he was not known to indulge in either drugs or women, although he was not beyond downing occasional shots of whiskey with fellow officers off duty.

About a year ago, Ross, 40, moved with his wife and two children into a middle-class neighborhood in an unincorporated portion of San Bernardino County, just north of Rialto. The $255,000 Spanish-style house, built on a low hill in the shadow of the San Bernardino Mountains, has four bedrooms, a pool and a fireplace.

One neighbor said Ross’ wife, Sylvia, recently had been seen driving a new Mercedes-Benz sedan.

Neighbors say the Rosses have kept to themselves since moving in but were nonetheless cordial. The only complaint about them involved noisy motorcycle rides taken by Ross’ son up and down the neighborhood’s quiet streets.

“It’s hard to figure that a person like that could be linked to such a tragic story,” said Jean Randall, who lives next door to Ross. “But in this neighborhood, we’re all busy and private people, so you don’t get to know people too well.”

Friday all the blinds and curtains were drawn at the two-story house, which backs onto a golf course. A man answered the door and immediately closed it when a reporter identified himself.

Bubba Crawford, who lives across the street from the family, described Ross as a practicing Christian who appeared to be a devoted family man. He worked long and odd hours, but when he was home he could often be seen playing with his young daughter or going out with his wife and son, who is about 20.

Before the Rosses bought the Sycamore Avenue house, neighbors recalled, police had raided the previous occupants in a drug bust. When neighbor Joe Ballard saw police descend on the house again Thursday night, “I said to myself, ‘Oh, oh, here we go again, another drug bust.’ ”