Chi Shao, 59
Chi Shao, a 59-year-old Asian man, died on Monday, Feb. 15, after he was struck by a car on La Puente Road, just west of Citadel Drive in Walnut, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Shao was jogging in the bike lane about 5:50 a.m., when he was struck from behind by a 1989 Toyota Camry, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Jauch.
The vehicle carried Shao on its hood for several yards until it collided with the brick wall of a house in the 20200 block of Barnard Avenue, Jauch said.
Shaw was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:02 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
The man police said was driving the Camry, Haissan Massalkhy, a 36-year-old Lebanese man who lives in West Covina, did not appear to be injured, Jauch said. Massalkhy was taken to a hospital for medical clearance before he was arrested on suspicion …
Hector Jesus Rios, 18
Hector Jesus Rios, an 18-year-old Latino, died Sunday, Feb. 14 after he was shot at Broadway and Reichling Lane in the West Whittier-Los Nietos area, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Rios, a resident of Fullerton, was riding in a car heading east on Reichling Lane when someone opened fire on the vehicle at about 1:08 a.m., said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hernandez.
The bullets struck Rios and the driver of the car, a 19-year-old Santa Ana resident, said Hernandez. The driver jumped out of the car, which continued rolling until it collided with a light pole at the southeast corner of Reichling and Broadway, in front of the Sorenson Library.
The driver ran to a house a few doors away from the scene and asked for help, Hernandez said. In the meantime, deputies who received 911 calls about the incident found Rios inside the crashed car with …
Eduardo Edwin Rodriguez, 24
Eduardo Edwin Rodriguez, a 24-year-old Latino, was shot to death by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Feb. 14 at Ferris Avenue and Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
The incident began about 3 a.m., when deputies noticed a car that appeared to be stripped in a mostly empty supermarket parking lot, said Lt. Eddie Hernandez. They also spotted a van parked nearby, Hernandez said, with a woman in the driver’s seat.
Investigators have found stolen vehicles in the parking lot before, Hernandez said, so the deputies drove around the block to look more closely at the car and the van.
On their second pass, the deputies noticed that the van now had three occupants, two males and a female, Hernandez said. When the van pulled out of the parking lot, the deputies followed and then pulled the van over because it had no …
Christian Anthony Leiva, 20
Charles Jun Nishihara, 32
Update: The Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner’s office has changed the mode of this death. It has not been ruled a homicide.
Charles Jun Nishihara, a 32-year-old Asian male, died Saturday, Feb. 13, after being strangled near 111 S. Gaffey St. in San Pedro, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.
Mark Walker, 49
Mark Walker, a 49-year-old black man, was fatally stabbed Saturday, Feb. 13, in the 5700 block of Fair Avenue in North Hollywood, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Shortly before noon, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a radio call of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to a news release from the LAPD.
When officers arrived, they found Walker inside an apartment with stab wounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Dave Peteque at (818) 374-1934. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Reward offered in 2015 shooting of aspiring firefighter
Marquise Lawrence was 7 years old in March 1996 when his father, Kevin, was gunned down in South Los Angeles. Nineteen years later, when his own daughter was 7 months old, Lawrence was shot to death in Compton.
The 26-year-old El Camino College student was killed March 18, 2015, as he was driving home from work about 5 p.m.
Kevin Lawrence’s killing has never been solved, but investigators and family are hoping that a $10,000 reward will help identify the man responsible for killing Marquise Lawrence, a former football player who was working two jobs while taking classes to become a firefighter.
The reward, provided by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, was announced Thursday during a news conference that included Lawrence’s now 19-month-old daughter, Jazalyn; her mother, Karen Lee; and members of Lawrence’s family, including his paternal grandmother, Joann Lawrence Haynes, and his paternal uncle Lee Miller.
“Marquise …
Trial begins in Valley Village restaurant shooting that left four men dead
In a downtown L.A. courtroom, Nerses Arthur Galstyan winced as a prosecutor projected images of four bullet-ridden bodies in a banquet hall.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Chung said Tuesday during opening statements in Galstyan's trial that the 25-year-old had fired at least 50 rounds during a party for a deceased friend. Ballistic evidence showed that 30 bullets were found in the bodies of six people, most of whom had been shot while a gunman was standing over them, Chung said.
“Was this an execution or was he so in fear for his life that he had to get a gun?” Chung asked the jury during his opening statements.
Chung argued that Galstyan, 32, did not fear for his life on April 3, 2010, when he opened fire, killing Hayk Yegnanyan, 25; Sarkis Karadjian, 26; Harut Baburyan, 28; and Vardan Tofalyan, 31. Galstyan was charged April 22, 2010, with four counts …
L.A. County’s youngest homicide victims
Autumn Johnson, who turned 1 last week, was fatally wounded by gunfire as she stood in her crib in the Compton garage where she lived. Her death on Feb. 9 made her the 411th homicide of a child 5 or younger in Los Angeles County since Jan. 1, 2000.
Many are the victims of abuse or violence in their homes. Others, like Autumn, were innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire of a confrontation or attack. Here’s a look at who those youngest victims were and how they died.
Matthew Thomas Quinn, 45
Matthew Thomas Quinn, a 45-year-old white man, was fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Thursday, Feb. 11, in the 2800 block of La Vida Drive in Lancaster, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Deputies were called to the neighborhood at 6:48 p.m. after receiving reports that a man was threatening his neighbor with an ax.
The man, later identified as Quinn, got into an argument with one of his neighbors and swung an ax at him, threatening to kill him, according to a department news release.
When deputies arrived, Quinn was standing on his front lawn holding an ax that was about 4 feet long, according to the news release. The deputies ordered him to drop the ax, but he refused and started to walk toward them, according to the release.
One of the deputies fired several rounds at Quinn from a stun bag shotgun, but it …
Autumn Marie Johnson, 1
Autumn Johnson, a 1-year-old girl, was shot and killed Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the 300 block of North Holly Avenue in Compton, according to authorities.
Shortly before 7 p.m., the child’s mother, Blanche Wandick, was preparing her child a bottle when she heard gunshots. The child was standing in her crib when she was shot in the head.
“That's all. That's all I can say. That's it. I miss my baby, I love my baby, but she is gone,” said the 21-year-old.
Behind her, blood dotted the driveway leading to the yellow garage where Wandick lives with Autumn's father.
Sheriff’s officials said that a gunman got out of a blue Chevrolet Impala, walked toward the home and fired at the garage. The gunman then got back into the car, which was seen heading south on North Holly Avenue.
Authorities are searching for two black men and are looking for witnesses, …
Robert Caldwell, 74
Robert Caldwell, a 74-year-old black man, was found with fatal stab wounds Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the 4900 block of Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 10:50 a.m., officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Division responded to a call of a possible suicide, according to a news release from the department.
When officers arrived, they found Caldwell unconscious in his apartment. Caldwell was pronounced dead at the scene. Apparently, he had been stabbed numerous times.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Det. Dave Peteque at (818) 374-1934. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Man charged in killing of woman found behind wall in a Lomita apartment
A 43-year-old man was charged Monday in the killing of a woman whose body was found behind a wall in a Lomita apartment last year, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Randolph Garbutt, a black man, is scheduled to be arraigned March 1 in L.A. County Superior Court in Torrance.
Garbutt has been charged with one count of murder with the allegation that he used a hammer to kill Raven Campbell, a 37-year-old woman who was reported missing in June 2009, according to prosecutors.
Campbell died of blunt-force trauma to the head, authorities said.
Campbell’s remains were found last summer after detectives received a tip leading them to an apartment in unincorporated Lomita. In July, authorities searched the home, which was occupied by another family, and found repaired drywall behind the stairs.
Cadaver dogs found human remains, which were later identified as Campbell’s.
In December …
DMV stops releasing photos of dead people to media
California Department of Motor Vehicles officials have stopped releasing the photographs of dead people, changing a longstanding practice that allowed news organizations access to the images.
The decision, according to the DMV, was prompted by dozens of national and international requests for photos of the 14 victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack in December.
“The DMV is also concerned for family members who must cope with the loss of someone they love, and wants to respect their privacy,” the department said in a statement.
In the case of the terrorism victims, photos of all the dead were quickly available from family and friends. But in many other cases, the DMV often was the most reliable source of a verifiable image.
The Los Angeles Times since has made at least three requests for photographs through the California Public Records Act that were denied by the department.
The denial is linked …