Youth Videotaping Skateboarders Shot to Death

Religious figurines and bright chrysanthemums stood beside the bloodstained sidewalk where a 17-year-old boy fell dead when a neighbor opened fire on a group of skateboarders, authorities said.

Ray Huffman, a high school senior, had been videotaping friends skateboarding as part of a project for his drama class Tuesday evening when Ruben Tadepa, 44, allegedly shot at the teenagers with whom he often clashed.

Huffman had been preparing to tape a final few minutes of the teenagers performing tricks before nightfall when Tadepa ran onto the street with a rifle, witnesses said.

“I ran back to my backyard because I was scared. And when I came out, there was Ray on the floor,” Jesus Leos, 15, said.

Tadepa was arrested Tuesday evening and held for investigation of murder. He suffered minor injuries when police fired on him after he leveled his rifle in their direction.

Several teens from the working-class Lomita neighborhood of eastern San Diego said they had long quarreled with Tadepa, who complained if youths went near his car.

Bill Huffman, Ray’s stepfather, said Tadepa was short-tempered and had displayed weapons before.

“He’s always been a problem. He’s a bully and he tried to bully all the kids all the time,” Huffman said. “And every time I’d go over there . . . he’d shake my hand and say ‘Everything is fine. I won’t hurt the kids. All I want to do is scare them.’

“I’d say, ‘You don’t pull a weapon out on a kid to scare him.’ ”

Police efforts to calm the situation were futile, Huffman said.

Ray’s school video project, “Skateboard Survivor,” was to be turned in Friday, said drama teacher Danielle Bartelli-Oldfield.

Bill Huffman said he had raised Ray since the boy was 2.

“He was never in trouble. He wasn’t running with gangsters. He didn’t even know gangsters. He wasn’t into drugs. He was a good boy,” he said.

The elder Huffman was in his garage when he heard shots. He saw Tadepa running away with his gun--and then he saw Ray.

“I saw him lying over there--dead,” Huffman said, sobbing.