Alleged Gang Member Charged in Fatal Shooting
An alleged Inglewood gang member was charged Tuesday with murder in the July 27 shooting death of a man in the underground parking lot of a North Hills apartment building.
Thomas McGruder, 22, faces a preliminary hearing on Sept. 23, Deputy Dist. Atty. Karen Parsons said. McGruder is being held on $1-million bail.
Devonshire homicide detectives said the shooting apparently occurred during a dispute over a drug deal. The slaying does not appear to be gang-related, Detective Tom Broad said.
The 8700 block of Orion Street, where the shooting occurred, has become a notorious illegal drug market and gang members from other areas sometimes frequent the area to ply the drug trade. Two men were slain there in July.
In the shooting that resulted in the murder charge against McGruder, neighbors who heard gunshots called police. Officers found the body of 31-year-old Jeffrey Winfrey, of Marina del Rey, slumped in the seat of his car. He had been shot in the head.
Broad said information from a witness led detectives to McGruder, who was taken into custody on Friday.
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