3 Slayings Around Apartments May Be Gang-Related, Police Say

Police said a man gunned down at an apartment complex early Wednesday was the victim of a gang shooting, and that two other slayings in the area last week appear to be connected to the latest attack.

Christopher Newsome, 22, was shot to death about 4 a.m. at an apartment complex at 8407 Cedros Ave., police said.

It was the same building where 16-year-old Daniel Szienza was fatally wounded late last Wednesday, when two gunmen fired into a small group outside the building. Szienza died at a nearby hospital.

Earlier that day, 27-year-old Felix Perez was killed outside the nearby Rich Man, Pour Man’s Bar and Lounge on Roscoe Boulevard.

“It’s apparent they are [connected],” said Lt. Joseph Eddy of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire Division. “Right now, we think it’s gang-related.”

On Wednesday, several terrified residents of the apartment complex said they were making plans to leave.

“I’m moving out,” said Iris Haynes, who lives in the two-story complex with her disabled mother. “It’s just too much for me. . . . This building is just like death.”

“This is a hangout spot [for gang members],” said Drina Brown, who also lives in the complex. “You don’t know who to trust. It’s really bad.”

Police have pledged more resources to combat the recent rash of violence in the neighborhood.

“We are trying to bring in additional officers,” Eddy said. “Right now it’s our No. 1 priority.”

In a related action, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office on Wednesday filed an abatement lawsuit against the apartment complex’s owner, Friedia Herczeg.

According to the lawsuit, undercover police officers either sold or bought drugs 23 times at the building between October and last month.

Herczeg could not be reached for comment.

City officials said they asked Herczeg two months ago to make improvements, such as adding lighting, hiring private security and evicting tenants involved in criminal activity.

Since the meeting, the owner hasn’t addressed problems there, said Tina Hess, supervising deputy city attorney.

“It’s been chronic and ongoing,” she said. “This is one of the most blatant [sites for] narcotic dealings in the area.”

Tenants said they not only live in subpar conditions but have lost their sense of security. Cigarette butts litter the lobby. Parts of the hallway carpet are soaked with spilled juice. Bullets have knocked out windows and turned walls into Swiss cheese.

Before the shootings, children would play outside and tenants would mingle openly. They were so close they considered one another like family.

But now, they keep mostly to themselves behind locked doors they open only after peering through peepholes.

“This shouldn’t have happened last night,” said tenant Marilyn Senegal. “The first shooting was a surprise, but this one could have been prevented.”

Some tenants said they have received ominous phone calls, warning about future retaliation. Lamar Johnson, who awoke to the gunshots early Wednesday morning, said he will take one piece of advice from a neighbor: “Whatever you do, don’t hang out out front.”

Risling is a Times Community News reporter, and Fox is a Times staff writer.