Alvaro Rodrigo Quijano, 21
Alvaro Rodrigo Quijano, a 21-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Monday, June 28, near Hooper Avenue and Nadeau Street in Florence-Firestone, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Quijano was riding his bicycle along Nadeau Street about 12:15 a.m. when he was shot, said Sgt. Sylvia Brossoit, who is handling the investigation.
Authorities were called and Quijano was taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where he died at 12:52 a.m., according to coroner's records.
Brossoit said that 10 minutes before Quijano was shot another shooting took place two blocks away. She said it was not known if the two incidents are related.
Quijano lived in the area in which he was killed, Brossoit said, and was not a gang member.
Anyone with information about the death of Alvaro Rodrigo Quijano is asked to contact Brossoit or Det. Phillip Martinez at the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Albert Valdez, 17 [Updated]
Albert Valdez, a 17-year-old Latino, was found shot to death Sunday, June 27, in the 1200 block of Sproul Street in Norwalk, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Valdez was brought to Coast Plaza Hospital in Norwalk by friends shortly after 10:30 p.m., said sheriff's homicide Sgt. Luis Nunez, who is handling the investigation.
He had been shot in the chest and was pronounced dead about half an hour later, according to coroner's records.
Nunez, citing the open investigation, declined to provide additional information about the case.
Anyone with information about Valdez's death is asked to contact Nunez at (323) 890-5500.
[Updated at 2:51 p.m. Aug. 17: Two juveniles have been arrested in connection with Valdez's death and are in custody pending murder charges, Nunez said.
Authorities are searching for a third alleged assailant, also a juvenile. Nunez said locating the boy has proved difficult because he …
Brian David Balderama, 15
Brian Balderama, a 15-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, June 27, in the 1400 block of Gaviota Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Police responded to a report of a shooting about 6:25 a.m. and found Brian suffering from several gunshot wounds to the torso, according to a Long Beach Police news release.
Paramedics were called and Brian was taken to a local hospital, where he died three hours later, according to coroner's records.
Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner's office, said Brian was at a friend's house when he was shot.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown; however, the incident is being investigated as possibly gang-related.
Anyone with information about the death of Brian Balderama is asked to contact Long Beach Police Department Homicide detectives Patrick O'Dowd and Terri Hubert at (562) 570-7244.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Pedro Hernandez, 19 [Updated]
Pedro Hernandez, a 19-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed Saturday, June 26, in the 400 block of South Locust Avenue in Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Hernandez was at a party in a vacant house about 11:15 p.m. when he got into an argument with another person, said Det. Marcelo Quintero, who is handling the investigation for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's homicide bureau.
Authorities believe Hernandez had consumed NOS, or nitrous oxide, and was acting erratically, Quintero said.
During the argument, a third person intervened and shot Hernandez in the head, Quintero said. Authorities were called and Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene, according to coroner's records.
Investigators are hoping to make an arrest in connection with the case sometime this week. Once additional details become available, The Times will provide an update to the post.
Anyone with information about Hernandez's death is …
David Cota, 23
David Cota, a 23-year-old Latino, was found stabbed to death Saturday, June 26, near 5th Street and Harding Street in Montebello, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
A woman called 911 about 12:55 p.m. and said there was a body in a medical building parking lot, said Montebello Police Lieutenant Brad Keller.
Cota, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had been stabbed in the chest, according to coroner's records.
Montebello Police Lt. Brad Keller said it was unclear whether Cota was stabbed in the parking lot or had been dumped there after being attacked. Witnesses heard an altercation the night before about 11:30 p.m. near where Cota's body was found, Keller said; however no one saw Cota getting assaulted.
Keller described Cota as a gang member and said investigators are looking into whether his death was connected to gang activity.
Anyone with information about the death of David …
Harry Grey Jr., 62
Harry Grey, a 62-year-old black man, died Thursday, June 24, at a convalescent home in the 12000 block of Riverside Drive in North Hollywood, according to coroner's records.
Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said Grey was in a physical altercation sometime in 2009, which resulted in him become comatose.
He never regained consciousness, Winter said. Grey was being taken care of at a convalescent home until his death on Thursday.
Winter had no additional information about where Grey was injured or how it occurred.
As of Tuesday, Grey's autopsy had not been completed and an official cause of death had not been released.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Ila Ali Packman, 39
Ila Packman, a 39-year-old white man, was stabbed to death Thursday, June 24, in the 1600 block of North El Centro Avenue in Hollywood, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
At about 9 p.m., the owner of the Hollywood Holistic II, a medical marijuana dispensary, walked into the store to find the body of his employee, Ila Packman. He had suffered stab wounds, police sources said. Preliminary records provided by the coroner's office confirm he was stabbed to death.
No drugs or money appeared to have been taken in the attack, police sources said, leaving detectives to speculate that the killer or killers may have intended to rob the facility but panicked and fled after the killing, or perhaps had plotted to kill Packman for some unrelated matter. It is not known how many suspects were involved in the incident.
Additionally, the dispensary's surveillance tape was removed, the sources …
Zachary Champommier, 18 [Update]
Zachary Champommier, an 18-year-old white man, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers Thursday, June 24, in the 12100 block of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
The incident unfolded as members of a multi-jurisdictional task force organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration gathered in a rear parking lot at 12171 Ventura Blvd. for a debriefing after serving a search warrant in the area.
During the meeting, they noticed a man looking inside the parked cars, including those belonging to task force members, said L.A. County sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
When one of the agents confronted the man, he became combative and began struggling with the officer, Parker said. A deputy went to the agent's aid, drawing his gun and ordering the suspect to the ground.
A second man behind the wheel of a Toyota sedan, later identified by the coroner's office …
Gregory Lee Anderson, 26
Gregory Anderson, a 26-year-old black man, was fatally shot Thursday, June 24, in the 700 block of North Willowbrook in Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Anderson was riding his bike in the middle of the street about 7:13 p.m. when he was approached by an unknown assailant and shot several times, said sheriff's homicide Detective Q. Rodriguez, who is handling the investigation.
Authorities were called and Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:30 p.m., according to coroner's records.
Witnesses described the shooter as a black male, 20 to 25 years old. Rodriguez said police believe the shooter is involved in a gang.
Anderson was also a gang member, Rodriguez said, but had started to turn his life around in order to care for his son.
Anyone with information about the Anderson's death is asked to contact Det. Rodriquez at (323) 890-5500.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Matthew Benjamin Butcher, 27
Matthew Butcher, a 27-year-old white man, was shot and killed Thursday, June 24, in the 1300 block of West Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Butcher was working at Higher Path Holistic Care, a medical marijuana dispensary, about 4:15 p.m. when four suspects entered. At gunpoint, they ordered Butcher and another employee to lie face-down on the ground as they ransacked the facility for marijuana and money, police sources said.
Although Butcher and the other worker did not resist, the attackers shot them, killing Butcher and critically wounding the other, according to police sources.
They said the account of the shooting came from the surviving victim, who has been able to speak with detectives from his hospital bed.
Before fleeing, the suspects removed the videotape from the facility's surveillance system, according to the police officials.
Matt Butcher was the son of Julie Butcher, a …
Manfred Karger, 71
Manfred Karger, a 71-year-old white man, was found dead Monday, June 21, in the 10000 block of Western Avenue in Downey, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Karger's body was found at his home Monday morning by a friend doing a welfare check, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner's office.
Authorities were called, and Karger was pronounced dead at the scene, Winter said.
According to a preliminary coroner's report, Karger died from several sharp-force injuries to the head.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Daniel Anthony Garcia, 32
Daniel Garcia, a 32-year-old Latino, was shot to death by Montebello police Sunday, June 20, in the 500 block of Emmet Williams Way in Montebello, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Police responded to a call of a robbery about 6:25 p.m., according to a sheriff's news release. The caller described the robbery suspect as a Latino, wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, last seen running north on 6th Street from Whittier Boulevard, authorities said. The caller reported that a citizen was following the suspect.
Officers located the alleged assailant, later identified by the coroner's office as Garcia, and requested back-up. Garcia was seen running south on 6th Street and then eastbound on Emmett-Williams Way, according to the news release.
Police began to chase Garcia on foot and were directed by citizens to a side yard where it was believed Garcia was hiding. Authorities said police gave specific …
Betty Ann McClellan, 62
Betty McClellan, a 62-year-old black woman, died Sunday, June 20, in the 4300 block of West 59th Place in Hyde Park, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Family members called 911 about 9 a.m. and said they found McClellan and her husband, Hersey McClellan, a 63-year-old black man, dead in a room, said Det. Chris Barling of the LAPD's 77th Street Division.
Authorities were called and husband and wife were pronounced dead at the scene, Barling said.
Investigators believe the shooting was a murder-suicide, in which Hersey shot his wife and then himself. It appears the couple had recent financial trouble, Barling said.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact Dets. Myra Kellum or Lyman Doster at (213) 485-1383.
-- Sarah Ardalani
Donald Ricardo Campbell, 52
Donald Campbell, a 52-year-old black man, was shot and killed Sunday, June 20, in the 1100 block of East 27th Street in Central-Alameda, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Campbell was shot in the lower back about 1 a.m., said Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner's office. It appeared he was the victim of a walk-up shooting, Winter said.
After the shooting, authorities were called and Campbell was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he died at 4:29 a.m., according to coroner's records.
-- Sarah Ardalani