CRIME : Even With 6 Slayings a Day, Some Killings Stunned the Southland

Los Angeles’ 1993 homicide tally stood at 999 and counting as of Dec. 7. Even though that represents a slight drop over last year’s rate, it still works out to nearly three murders every day in this city. Countywide, the total through the end of November was 2,076, an average of nearly six homicides a day.

Even here, some crimes stand out--often because they represent intrusions into seemingly secure places such as schools, hospital emergency rooms or a street filled with trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Here are some of the incidents that shocked Los Angeles and surrounding communities in 1993:

Campus shootings: A 15-year-old youth was shot and killed at Fairfax High School on Jan. 21 when the .357-caliber magnum a classmate was carrying in his backpack accidentally fired. A second student was injured and recovered. One month later, on Feb. 22, another 15-year-old student was shot to death at Reseda High School by a classmate who was said to be a member of a rival graffiti tagging crew. The shootings were a numbing revelation of the presence of guns on school campuses.

Emergency room rampage: Three doctors were wounded in a Feb. 8 shooting rampage by a patient inside the emergency room at County-USC Medical Center. The gunman allegedly came to complain about his medical care and was angry that he had to wait.

Bike shop shooting: A 12-year-old boy was convicted of first-degree murder in the March 11 shooting death of a popular Monrovia bicycle shop owner. The victim was shot down from the back without provocation; the child expressed no remorse, the judge said.

ATM holdup: A pregnant Toluca Lake woman was stabbed to death during a March 30 robbery at an automated teller machine outside a Sherman Oaks bank.

Crossing guard killed: Two high school students, one of them an ROTC cadet, were charged with kidnaping and shooting to death Long Beach crossing guard Catherine Tucker as she sat in her car at her post on the morning of Aug. 9.

Father killed after dog is shot: Transito Velado was shot down Sept. 24 outside his Los Angeles home after he confronted a gunman who had just wounded his dog. Five children were left fatherless. Neighbors, shocked by the family’s tragedy, sent donations totaling about $20,000.

Decapitation: A 32-year-old tailor, incensed that friends doubted his claim that he had murdered a man, allegedly cut off the victim’s head, put it in a roasting pan and displayed it next to the pastry case at a Pico-Union neighborhood market Oct. 25.

Halloween homicides: Five members of a Pasadena gang were charged with killing three teen-agers Halloween night because a member of the suspects’ gang had been shot earlier that evening. More than 80 Pasadena activists were moved to create the Coalition for a Nonviolent Pasadena, dedicated to improving educational and recreational opportunities for youths and to lobbying for gun control laws.