Man Charged in Death of Fellow Transient
A 37-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a fellow transient during an argument in an abandoned RTD bus garage in Van Nuys that had been turned into a homeless encampment, authorities said Wednesday.
Mark Edward McCray was charged Tuesday with one count of murder and was being held without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail.
Police said McCray stabbed a 33-year-old man to death Saturday night in the unused garage at 14557 Sherman Way. The attack occurred during an argument, but police don’t know what it was about, Detective Jim Vojtecky said.
The victim’s name was not released because investigators have been unable to locate his family to notify them.
Vojtecky said several other transients who made their home in the garage witnessed the slaying. McCray, known as “Casper” on the street, was arrested Sunday morning when someone tipped police that he was eating at a restaurant near the garage.
Several transients had apparently been living in the cavernous garage for months, Vojtecky said. He said bus bays and offices had been partitioned into living areas that included mattresses, cooking utensils and other belongings.
Vojtecky said demolition of the garage, which is surrounded by a chain-link fence, began Monday.
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