Donna Joann Harber, 81
Donna Joann Harber, an 81-year-old white woman, was found dead Tuesday, Sept. 1, in the 4900 block of Weik Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 6:40 a.m., the Bell Police Department responded to a call of a shooting at a home in the area and found Harber with gunshot wounds, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which is assisting in the investigation.
Danny Lee Harber, a 76-year-old white man, has been charged with murder with the allegation that he used a handgun, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Danny Harber, a former Bell city councilman, faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted.
The couple were married for more than 50 years, prosecutors said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call …
Dinora Elizabeth Guillen, 34
Jimy Leonel Reyes Cortez, 3
Jimy Leonel Reyes Cortez, a 3-year-old Latino male, died Saturday, March 14, after sustaining blunt force trauma near 4704 E. Florence Ave. in Bell, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.
Timothy Lamont Ware Jr., 22
Timothy Lamont Ware Jr., a 22-year-old black man, was fatally shot on Monday. Feb. 10, in the 6900 block of Crafton Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner records.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies were called to the residential area regarding shots fired about 6:50 p.m., said Lt. Charles Calderaro. The deputies found a car crashed into a parked car, and Ware unconscious in the driver's seat with gunshot wounds.
Ware was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:22 p.m., according to coroner's records. The cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds to the chest.
Calderaro said it appeared Ware was driving when he was shot, and only traveled a few feet before his car struck the parked car.
Investigators don't have any suspect information, he said, and they don't know why Ware was in the area. He lived in Montebello, according …
Sergio Armando Vargas, 54
Sergio Armando Vargas, a 54-year-old Latino male, died Monday, Feb. 25, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Bell, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.
Cesar Fino, 38
Mauricio Gomez, 47
Mauricio Gomez, a 47-year-old Latino, was fatally shot Saturday, April 21, in the 5100 block of East Gage Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Bell Police officers received a call about a gunshot victim about 10:46 p.m. and found Gomez lying wounded in a parking lot, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Rodney Moore.
Gomez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:33 p.m., according to coroner’s records. The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the leg.
Moore said investigators don’t have any information about the shooter or a motive for the shooting.
KTLA5 News footage identified the location as the parking lot outside the El Palmar Piano Bar, at the corner of East Gage and Walker avenues. A security guard said Gomez had nothing to do with the bar, KTLA reported, but it’s not known if …
Guillermo Ortega Jr., 39
Guillermo Ortega Jr., a 39-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Monday, March 5, in the 6700 block of Loma Vista Place in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Bell Police officers were called to the area around 11:15 p.m. regarding reports of gunfire, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Derrick Alfred said.
The officers searched a dark street, which was part residential and part commercial, and found Ortega inside his van, Alfred said. Someone had shot Ortega through the driver’s side of the vehicle, authorities said.
Ortega was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:48 p.m., according to coroner’s records.
An online obituary said Ortega lived in Huntington Park and had worked on bicycles for eight years. He is survived by two daughters, two sisters and his mother.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to …
Raul Cervantes, 24
Raul Cervantes, a 24-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Saturday, July 30, on the Gage Bridge in the 5400 block of Gage Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Bell police found Cervantes lying near the bike path entrance on the western descent from the bridge after receiving a call about shots being fired at 1:41 p.m., said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Rosson.
Cervantes was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:56 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to coroner’s records.
Rosson said video footage of the shooting shows Cervantes standing at the entrance to the bike path when a Latino adult walked up to him and opened fire. The gunman was last seen running west off the bridge on foot.
Cervantes had ties to a gang in Bell, Rosson said, and investigators believe the shooter was a member of a rival …
Paula Barrajan Montoya, 64
Paula Barrajan Montoya, a 64-year-old Latina, was pronounced dead Thursday, July 21, after she was strangled in the 6600 block of Pine Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Her granddaughter, Sarah Montoya, 24, is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 25 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Norwalk Courthouse.
Bell police went to check on Paula Montoya around 7:30 a.m. at the request of her son, who lives out of state, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Rosson. The son said he usually spoke to his mother daily, but he hadn't heard from her for several days.
When officers entered the house, they found Montoya’s body in the bathroom, wrapped in blankets and clear plastic, Rosson said. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:40 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
The coroner’s office later determined that she died of asphyxiation by neck compressions, …
Gilbert Esparza, 35
Gilbert Esparza, a 35-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Saturday, July 9, on the bike trail along the Los Angeles River near River Drive and Southhall Lane in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Bell police officers received a report of shots fired about 1:12 a.m., said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Rosson.
Officers found Esparza unresponsive on the bike path near his bicycle, Rosson said. “We’re not sure if he was shot while riding his bike," Rosson said, or stopped and was confronted. “There were no witnesses or video on the bike path.”
The trail, which runs through a residential area, is unlit, Rosson said.
Esparza was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
Esparza's younger brother, Alfredo Esparza of the Delano area in Central California, said Gilbert Esparza had been living with their uncle in Bell …
Jeremiah Eli Bonilla, 22
Jeremiah Eli Bonilla, a 22-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Wednesday, July 6, in the alley behind the 4000 block of Randolph Street in Bell, near Riverside Avenue, according to authorities.
Witnesses reported that Bonilla was sitting in his car in the alley about 3:15 a.m. when a person on a bicycle approached him. Bonilla's car suddenly accelerated, driving through the door of a detached garage, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Cotter.
Bell Police officers were called because of the noise from the crash, Cotter said. When they arrived, they found Bonilla sitting in the front seat with a gunshot wound to his chest.
Bonilla was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:31 a.m., according to coroner’s records. He died just a few blocks from his home, Cotter said.
A person was seen leaving the area on a bicycle after the shooting, Cotter said, but it’s not clear …
Vinson Lee Ramos, 37
Vinson Lee Ramos, a 37-year-old Latino, was shot and killed by police officers on Thursday, July 7, in the 7100 block of South Atlantic Avenue in Bell, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Ramos allegedly asked Bell Police officers to shoot him and then charged toward them with a knife after a domestic dispute inside a nearby restaurant and store, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Cotter, whose homicide team is investigating the shooting.
The officers were called to s 7-Eleven store at 8:20 a.m. after Ramos and his girlfriend, who is 8-months pregnant, got into an argument at a Jack In the Box next door, Cotter said.
Ramos allegedly shoved his girlfriend against a wall at the restaurant and then walked next door to the 7-Eleven, Cotter said. The woman followed, with her 5-year-old son in tow, he said.
Witnesses reported that Ramos was allegedly holding a …
Jose Angel Kazama, 43
Jose Angel Kazama, a 43-year-old Latino, was fatally shot Tuesday, May 10, in the 6200 block of Orchard Avenue in Bell, according to coroner's records.
Bell police were called to the scene regarding shots fired about 10 p.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is overseeing the homicide investigation.
When the officers arrived, they found Kazama, with a revolver by his side, lying face down in an alley behind an apartment building, according to coroner's records.
Kazama was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:14 p.m., with multiple gunshot wounds, according to coroner's records. Investigators also found bullet casings that did not match the revolver at the scene, according to coroner's records.
"We're looking at the possibility that there may have been an exchange of gunfire between our victim and the suspects," said Sheriff's Department Lt. Steve Jauch.
Kazama lived in Los Angeles, …