Arrest Made in Slaying at Pay-to-Enter Party : Violence: Deputies hold victim’s half-brother. The death has focused new attention on the private gatherings, where a mix of drugs, alcohol and weapons can lead to confrontations.

Acting on a tip from anonymous callers, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested the half-brother of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed as he used his body to shield two girls from gunfire at a pay-to-enter party, authorities said.

Eric Gunn, 21, was arrested without incident at Willow Creek Village in the 44000 block of 15th Street East, said Deputy Benita Hinojos, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. He is scheduled for arraignment in Antelope Valley Municipal Court on Wednesday.

Gunn was booked on suspicion of murder at the Antelope Valley sheriff’s station, Hinojos said. Upon his arrest, deputies discovered a small amount of rock cocaine in his possession, and he also was charged with possession of a controlled substance, authorities said.

A number of party-goers who left the shooting scene before deputies arrived early Sunday morning called and identified Gunn as the man who shot and killed Rayshaun Love when he fired foura handgun four times, authorities said.

Love, a high school basketball player, was killed by a single gunshot. Two other people were injured and taken to Antelope Valley Medical Center where they are recovering from gunshot wounds.

Gunn and a sister attended the party with the victim, said his mother Martha Jordan. Investigators said Gunn did not realize he had shot his half-brother.

The organizers of the pay-to-enter house party in Lancaster said they had been determined to make it safe. Security guards frisked everyone who entered, and organizers said pit bulls were stationed in side yards to keep people from sneaking in.

But despite the precautions, Love was fatally wounded while shielding two teen-age girls--one 14 and the other 17, authorities said.

His death focused has renewed attention on the popularity--and dangers--of pay-to-enter parties.

Since 1990, two other deaths and numerous injuries have occurred in the Antelope Valley at such get-togethers, where minimal supervision and the mix of alcohol, drugs, weapons--and strangers--can lead to deadly confrontation.

“Here’s another incident in a short period of time where somebody’s dead or injured because of one of these,” said Bill Pricer, who heads the United Community Action Network, an anti-gang group in Palmdale.

“They just simply get out of hand. No matter how many controls they think they have, this gun obviously got past the guards at the door.”

Pricer, a retired sheriff’s deputy who is president of the Antelope Valley Union High School District board, launched his group’s 24-hour hot line after a popular high school soccer player was fatally shot during a similar party in Lancaster in 1990.

A year later, a 22-year-old Lancaster man was shot to death when he tried to aid a friend who was being beaten up at such a party.

Authorities say such roving gatherings--known as “raves” in many areas of the country--often operate outside the law.

Organizers will advertise them by handing out flyers at schools and other places where young people gather. Targeting teen-agers or young adults, the organizers charge a $3 to $10 entrance fee for parties, usually in a rented warehouse or hall, though private homes in quieter suburban areas may also be used. A disc jockey commonly plays music, and alcoholic beverages are usually served.

Authorities say it is illegal to charge admission without a city or county business license and illegal to serve alcohol without a permit from state beverage regulators.

A 25-year-old Lancaster man--who said he needed money to support his wife and two children--provided his house for the party at which Love died. He said eight people, some of them former football players, served as security guards, checking for weapons as people entered.

“There were a couple of people who came through,” he said. “They had weapons. We turned them away and told them to take them away or put them in their cars. . . . Nobody protested being searched. Nobody had a problem.”

The party remained peaceful until about 1 a.m., when a fight erupted in the yard, followed by three gunshots, the man said.

Investigators said the shooting broke out after another teen-age boy became upset because someone spilled beer on his shoes.