2 Men Arrested in Fatal Drug-Related Shooting of Transient

Two men have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the drug-related slaying of a transient in Dixie Canyon, including one suspect who had fled to Las Vegas, authorities said Tuesday.

Clifford Jones, 25, was shot several times in the chest in the early morning hours of April 8 while arguing with several acquaintances, Van Nuys Police Detective Steve Fisk said. “It was a drug deal that went bad, over a dispute over $80,” Fisk said.

After the shooting at 4047 Dixie Canyon Ave., police responded to 911 calls and found six spent bullet shells and Jones’ body in the roadway. For at least a week, they were unable to determine the identity of the victim because of the many aliases and false addresses he had given during several contacts with police.

“Everything he had told police wasn’t true,” Fisk said. “So we were following bum leads. But we turned over enough rocks to find out who he hung with, and what happened.”

After finding some of Jones’ acquaintances, who led them to other clues in the case, police arrested Alameldein Ali, 35, on May 12 as he slept in an abandoned car in Hollywood. Authorities also issued an all-points bulletin with a license plate number of a car believed to have been involved in the case.

On May 17, authorities in Las Vegas recognized the license plate and arrested Billy Mayberry, 36, on suspicion of murder, police said. Mayberry has waived extradition and is expected to be flown back to Los Angeles today, escorted by two Los Angeles police detectives.

Jones had been staying at various locations, including Santa Monica and New Jersey, where he had relatives, Fisk said. “He was a transient type of individual.”