LOS ANGELES COUNTY : 2 Suspects Questioned in Cheerleader’s Killing
Two suspects were questioned Wednesday in the killing of Paramount High School cheerleader Sheila Lorta, a day after county supervisors offered $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
The 16-year-old was hit by a stray bullet Sept. 29 as she was caught in a suspected gang attack while trying to cross the street between her campus and a McDonald’s at Rosecrans and Downey avenues.
One of the suspects, a 22-year-old Paramount gang member, was cleared but was being held on a parole violation, deputies said. Questioning is continuing for the second suspect, Margarito Navarez, 26, who was already being held on other charges.
On June 17--the day before he would have graduated--Paramount High honors student and standout athlete Alfred Clark was killed at the same McDonald’s after he refused to surrender his CD player to gunmen. The board offered a $50,000 reward in the Clark case, and two teen-agers have been arrested.
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