Man Killed as Gang Goes to Wrong Door, Police Say

After the building next door was sprayed with gunfire in a drive-by shooting last month, 30-year-old Tracy Takahashi began thinking about moving out of his apartment on the once-peaceful street in Gardena where he had lived for the last five years.

But the violence overtook him before he could get away.

In what police say apparently was a case of gang members going to the wrong building, Takahashi, a field chemist for an environmental cleanup company, was shot and killed when he answered a doorbell about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“He was such a gentle guy, he didn’t even like violent Nintendo games,” said the slain man’s brother, Dean Takahashi, 29.

Gardena police were investigating whether the attack was related to the incident Oct. 19, when shots were fired from a passing car at the apartment building next door. No one was injured.

Neighbors said they had no doubt that Takahashi’s killers meant to return to that building, which bears a strong resemblance to Takahashi’s. “That’s the only place on this whole street we’ve ever had any trouble,” one neighbor said.

Investigators believe that two men wordlessly fired six or seven shots from handguns, hitting Takahashi once in the head and several times in the midsection, then fled.

“It seems like he just opened the door and then boom-boom-boom,” Lt. Gary Cherry said.

“I guess we should have been extra cautious after that earlier shooting,” said Takahashi’s roommate, Randy Fujimoto, 31.

Takahashi was an honors student in high school in Sacramento, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1987. He had worked for the Wilmington branch office of International Technology Corp., an environmental cleanup firm, since 1988. An avid sports fan, he played basketball and volleyball and was active in the local Japanese American community.

“It’s a shame,” said a neighbor. Takahashi and his roommates “are all hard-working young men, very polite, not partyers,” she said. “This shouldn’t happen to people like that.”

No suspects have been arrested, police said.