Freeway Victim Was Ex-Gang Member

A 29-year-old man who was shot to death Saturday as he changed a tire on the Golden State Freeway in Pacoima was identified by his family as a former gang member.

But the family said that Donterrell Berry, 29, an unemployed construction worker, had left gang life behind and was to be married in two weeks.

As far as his family knew, Berry had no enemies. “Everybody that knew him loved him,” said his mother, Janet Pool.

Family members said that Berry’s life revolved around his two sons--Marcus Eric, 7, and Damion Terrell, 3--and fiance Anastashia Smith, 24, who is Damion’s mother.

Berry was shot at 5:30 p.m. Saturday as he fixed a flat tire on the freeway shoulder. A white or beige pickup truck or sports utility vehicle with two men in it came up alongside him and stopped in the slow lane, police said. The passenger lifted a gun and fired numerous times, striking Berry in the upper body.

Berry was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was pronounced dead. His fiance, a nurse’s assistant at the hospital, was on duty when the body was brought in.

Family members said that Berry worked odd jobs, mainly in construction, and had been with Smith for five years. “Everything was perfect between us,” Smith said. “He was a good father.”

Pool saw her son for the last time Friday night at her Canoga Park home when he picked up Damion, who had been staying with his grandmother. Throwing a slumbering Damion over his shoulder, Berry said, “See you tomorrow, Ma,” and headed for the North Hollywood apartment he shared with Smith.

There at about 2 p.m. the next day, Berry told Smith he was going to run an errand. She told him to hurry back and bring something to eat. The next time she saw him was at the hospital.