Holdup Suspects May Be Linked to W. Covina Killing

Two men arrested after an armed robbery in Gardena are also under investigation in the slaying of a West Covina engineer who was shot as he dropped his family off at a hotel for the start of a Hawaiian vacation, authorities said Wednesday.

West Covina Police Cmdr. John Distelrath said the two men are suspects in the death of Raymond Garrett Shield, 61, killed early Tuesday in the parking lot of a local Holiday Inn as family members looked on.

The suspects, Paul Watkins, 21, and Lucian Martin, 18, both of Los Angeles, were booked by Gardena police for investigation of armed robbery, Distelrath said. They were caught by officers after they fled on foot from Steve’s Market on West 135th Street about four hours after the Shield slaying. The two men, who police said both have criminal records, were being held in Gardena City Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail each.

At the robbery scene, Gardena police found a black 1990 Nissan pickup that matched--”almost to a T”--the description of the truck used in the Shield slaying, Distelrath said. Among the matching features, Distelrath said, were the color, license plates, tire treads and a horizontal stripe painted on the truck. The vehicle had been stolen in Riverside County.

Officers also found a 9-millimeter automatic weapon in an alley near the Gardena robbery scene, which was the type of gun investigators believe was used in the homicide. Police said the Gardena store owner saw one of the suspects in the pickup before the robbery.

Distelrath said West Covina police plan to question the suspects today.

Shield, described by friends and city officials as an outstanding community volunteer and patron of the arts, was killed as he was dropping off his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren at the hotel to catch a shuttle to Los Angeles International Airport. Shield was to join them in Hawaii a week later.

According to Distelrath, the slaying occurred at 5 a.m. as Shield approached two men who appeared to be having engine problems with their pickup truck and had gestured for him to come over. The men attempted to rob Shield, who refused and walked away. One of the men pulled a pistol and shot him in the stomach. He died at a nearby hospital.

Relatives who gathered at the Shields’ home Wednesday in the quiet, affluent South Hills area of West Covina, would not talk to a reporter. But neighbors on Crescent View Drive expressed shock and anger at the death of a man they said was kind, soft-spoken and always was ready to lend a hand to a friend in need.

“This was senseless,” said Mary Underwood, 54, a real estate agent who lives a few doors down from the Shields. “He was a very caring person. I feel like I’ve lost a family member.”

“It’s a tragedy,” said Anita Nadel, who lives next door. “It’s a loss for the community --my loss, everyone’s loss--that this happened in West Covina. I thought it was fairly safe here.”

Shield, who contributed to various musical organizations, was a board member of the San Gabriel Valley Symphony Assn.