90 minutes. 4 killed. A random ‘senseless rampage’ that terrorized Southeast L.A.
The first gunshots rang out in Bell half an hour before midnight. Two men in a red vehicle sped away, leaving behind one man dead Sunday night outside an elementary school.
Over the next 90 minutes, authorities say, southeast Los Angeles County was the scene of a terrifying and seemingly random string of killings.
When it was over, four people were dead in a series of drive-by shootings within five miles of each other, including a 14-year-old boy. The violence left family members of the victims grieving and communities reeling.
On Thursday, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged two men with the slayings.
“Multiple communities have been terrorized by these men’s callous, cruel, and coldhearted actions. This senseless violence will not go unanswered by the scales of justice,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in announcing the charges.
Investigators said the suspects are affiliated with street gangs, but did not disclose any information about a motive behind the shootings. It was unclear if one or both men opened fire in the shootings, and investigators said they had not recovered any weapons used in the killings.
Prosecutors charged 42-year-old Gary Garcia Jr. and 20-year-old Timberland McKneely with four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder with special circumstances.
Law enforcement sources say the fatal shootings late Sunday and early Monday are related. The killings occurred in Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy and Los Angeles.
Both are being held in lieu of $2-million bail. They were scheduled to appear in court Thursday and had not entered into a plea, according to the district attorney’s office. Court records show that Garcia has an extensive criminal record for driving with a suspended license, vandalism, burglary and other offenses. McKneely has what Gascón called a “very minimal record.”
Both men face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, the D.A.’s office said.
Community leaders said they were relieved to hear of the charges, though much is still unknown about the reason behind the shootings.
“Families across Southeast Los Angeles are grieving, and communities are still shaken by the terror created by this senseless rampage,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “Nothing we can do will make these families whole again, but these men must be held accountable for the pain they caused and the lives they stole.”
Huntington Park Police Chief Cosme Lozano issued a statement saying the killings sent “ shock waves throughout our communities.”
On Tuesday evening, friends and family gathered outside Martha Escutia Primary Center for a vigil to honor one of the victims, Kevin Parada, a 24-year-old father who died lying in a driveway outside the elementary school.
Illuminated by warm yellow votive candles and surrounded by white roses, daisies and sunflowers, the vigil attendees sang a series of prayers to God and the Virgin Mary.
“Give them eternal rest,” a man said in Spanish, to which the crowd replied “Así sea” — So be it.
The killings unfolded in quick succession.
The first shooting targeted Parada and a 29-year-old man around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, homicide investigators said. The other man was uninjured. Thirty-four minutes later, in an unincorporated part of the county, bullets felled a 27-year-old man in a parking lot in the 1500 block of East Florence Avenue. That man died and he was identified as Josue Ramirez.
Four miles east, at the Ellen Ochoa Learning Center, 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr. and a 13-year-old boy who were standing outside the school were shot just 12 minutes after the previous shooting. Pedraza died outside the elementary school, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. Neighbors said the boy attended the school as an eighth-grader. The 13-year-old was wounded and taken to a hospital, authorities said.
The last victim was shot five minutes before 2 a.m. in the 6300 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Huntington Park. He was identified as Omar Alexander Mora, described as being between the ages of 35 and 45.
Parada’s aunt, Michelle Ramos, wrote in a post on GoFundMe that the family is “in shock and disbelief” about his death.
“He had a family and his baby boy it’s such a tragedy for his life to be cut short,” she wrote.
Gascón said one of those slain was “experiencing homelessness” but did not provide any additional information.
At each shooting, a red Honda Pilot was captured on surveillance video footage driving away from the scene. Investigators were able to verify the vehicle’s license plate and put out a bulletin to law enforcement that the driver was armed and dangerous and wanted in connection with the shootings.
A vehicle matching the description was stopped by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies at 4 p.m. Monday, and a suspect was taken into custody. Investigators would not say which of the men was driving at the time. The second suspect was identified and arrested after a search warrant was issued and executed by a SWAT team at a Compton home Tuesday morning, according to investigators, who suspect that a third person may also be linked to the shootings.
“Homicide detectives and multiple Department resources worked around the clock to identify and arrest the suspects who were threatening the safety of our communities and involved in these senseless murders,” Homicide Capt. Andy Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Times staff writers Angie Orellana Hernandez and Andrew Campa contributed to this story.
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