Fullerton : Killing of Youth Not Gang-Related, Police Say

The murder of a 17-year-old Fullerton youth on the streets of an exclusive hillside neighborhood was probably not gang related, police said Monday.

Officer Cecil Reece said the motive for the attack on Vernon Morris Carter III and a companion, Arthur Rodriguez Jr., was the result of drug buy gone sour early Sunday. Carter and Rodriguez apparently went to the quiet neighborhood in the 1400 block of Vista del Mar expecting to buy some marijuana in a prearranged deal. Instead, they were beaten and robbed by a group of assailants.

Carter died later at UCI Medical Center in Orange from several stab wounds, and Rodriguez remained at the same hospital Monday night in critical condition, police said.

Four suspects, including a 16-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with the case. Reece said that no bail has been set for any of the suspects and that no court hearings have been scheduled.

Detectives spent much of Monday searching for a gang-connection in the case. But, Reece said, it appears “that this is a case of a drug buy gone bad. . . . It’s doubtful that this had anything to do with gangs.” He added that police are uncertain whether either victim belonged to a gang.