The Homicide Report

A story for every victim

The Homicide Report

Ardis Edward Brown Jr., 36

Aug. 19, 2010, 6:20 p.m.

Ardis Brown Jr., a 36-year-old black man, died Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, 11 days after he was shot in the 3000 block of West 113th Street in Inglewood, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Brown was attending a party with family members a little after midnight on Aug. 16 when he was approached by a person and shot, said Inglewood Police Department homicide Det. Michael Han, who is handling the investigation.

Several others were hit by gunfire but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, Han said.

After the shooting, authorities were called and Brown was taken to a hospital in Torrance, where he remained until he died 11 days later, according to coroner's records.

Han said there have been no arrests made in connection with the case.

[Note: This homicide did not appear on the report at the time of Brown's death. It was added Aug. 19, 2010, after The Times was contacted about the omission by a family friend.]

Anyone with information about the identity of the shooter or details about Brown's death is asked to contact Han at (310) 412-4379.

-- Sarah Ardalani

Share a memory or thought about Ardis Edward Brown Jr.

Before you post, here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Remember, all posts are approved by a Times staffer. Profanity and personal attacks will not be approved.

66 reader comments

I'm completely disgusted, I'd avoided this website for years due to the fact it displayed a photograph of my older cousin whom I miss dearly with no regret! But christmas eve (his birthday that he shares with both of my parents) is soooo empty without him. Let me set the record straight. I am a teacher on a military base and currently pursuing my masters in criminal justice to make a career change that was inspired by him. He also was a college educated man and has plenty of educated family members. He did not reside in inglewood he lived in a working middle class neighborhood.He was a business owner of two group homes and worked with a non-organization to help keep young men from gangs. We come from a family of Veterans. We were raised under the motto "de oppresso liber" which means in latin "liberate the oppressed". Ardis did just that...we weren't raised to turn our heads and close our fist when someone was in need especially if we had the means to help. Ardis was dependability,bearing,courage,decisiveness,endurance,enthusiasm,integrity,judgment,justice,knowledge,tact,unselfishness, and loyalty...you know the characteristics that make a GOOD SOLDIER! we all know a uniform and a title doesn't make a good soldier, but the sacrifices that are made not for themselves but by not leaving no man behind. He had a heart for those young men who were wounded from not having anyone who cared...and he didn't leave them behind...instead he adopted them as his own! But the one thing i loved about my cousin, he wasn't a coward and believed in showing respect to others...he wasn't the type that pissed and walked on a dead man's grave, unlike those who are using this page as their personal blog and can care less about the family members and children who... are really missing a man of character and integrity...he was and will always be OUR family HERO... a SOLDIER in heart & spirit, and a prodigious father! I Love and miss u sooooo much Ardis....and how we were stuck on the side of the road in the desert and i had to walk for 3 or 4 hours in heels just to reach a residential area .....how i miss u so :(

— Lynn Jan. 5, 2012 at 5:42 p.m.

I have often been at odds with syscom3 but over time I have reluctantly begun to agree with him. My take? He is railing against this attitude of 'es la vida', resignation, or even glorification that certain communities exhibit towards a sky-high homicide rate. He points out the vast gulf between the responses of middle-class vs. lower class neighborhoods when it comes to murder.
He shines the spotlight on the misguided who wrongly garland a recently-deceased thug with the wreath of humanity. That he is roundly denounced only makes a stronger argument that his is a voice of righteous reason who must be heard. Please don't try and silence him. The cornerstone of democracy is allowing all voices to be heard regardless of one's personal distaste. Keep up the good work syscom3 and may God bless you and yours.

— 90caliber Dec. 29, 2010 at 9:18 a.m.

Nosyscom3 --

We are pretty clear about what we allow to be posted. Since we do not edit submissions, we must decide solely based on what the poster writes. Most often, profanity keeps posts from going up. Using an $*% or abbreviations doesn't get you around the rules. Use of inappropriate language is a shame because sometimes those posts are otherwise very thoughtful. If someone leaves an email address, I will write them and encourage them to resubmit. Obvious threats also are blocked.

Then there are the more subjective calls. We try to weigh whether someone is asking legitimate questions about what took place against the likelihood that a comment will be pointlessly hurtful. That's a decision we make numerous times each day. If a point already has been made and countered, we may choose to disallow further similar comments in the interest of steering the conversation in a more productive direction.

Do we always get it right? We don't claim to be infallible but we do our best. The subject is raw and so are many of the comments. Since relaunching in January, the Homicide Report staff has approved more than 8,350 comments and blocked thousands more.

Syscom3, for example, has both the most comments approved and the most blocked.

We will give Jill your best.

— Megan Garvey/Los Angeles Times Sept. 4, 2010 at 8:59 a.m.

I agree - <"Hey Paul 619: I completely relate to your frustration. Many of us have experienced the same. Seems like HR editorial staff are a little inconsistent in what they let through. I have gotten some through that were probably pushing the envelope a bit and yet some of the softer ones got blasted. Guess it's just tough for them to get it right every time. Oh well, hang in there. Just expect that to happen from time to time and keep on posting. Kind regards. ">

Oh my, how true I tried to post on this very page last week and it never went up, I was going to send a email to the staff like another reader but didnt

They allow so much hate to be spewed by some posters and it only fuels their hate and idiot small mind thinking - shame on the la times staff for being so obvious on what you will allow to be posted, this is not the blog I started reading from day one over three years ago, what a sham, bring back Jill

I'm just going with my gut on this and say that the Hr staff posts' alot of the postings to steer up some lame debate, they are the out of line posters

— Nosyscom3 Sept. 3, 2010 at 7:08 p.m.

I have been an avid reader of this blog for the last three years. It's extremely upsetting when I add a comment and the LA Times excludes my comments from being posted! I never belittle anyone, use fowl language, mock the deceased, or disrespect anyone. Sometimes I debate with other folks posting comments or question peoples intelligence in regards to their comment, however I'm always respectful. You (LA Times) don't include my comment however you include other comments where people are belittling folks for there spelling or downright saying these people deserved to die. I'm outraged! Please post my comment that I submitted earlier in the week in regards to this homicide. It's unfair that you manipulate this debate my cherry picking the comments. With all due respect we as the readers deserve to have our comments posted.

— Paul 619 Aug. 27, 2010 at 5:26 p.m.

Sheba, you did not do your research very good. For example:

Monrovia: Jason Gentile, 22
December 21, 2009
Posted by: syscom3 | December 22, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Posted by: syscom3 | December 31, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Posted by: syscom3 | January 04, 2010 at 04:31 PM
Posted by: syscom3 | January 20, 2010 at 08:53 AM

As I always say, a criminal is a criminal is a criminal. It doesn't matter to me what race they are. I say the same things about them.

Now, perhaps you need to face reality. The huge majority of homicides in LA County involve Latino or Black's. Most of them are gang related. Thus, you will see more of my comments on those statistical categories as compared to others. It quite rare when a white or asian gangster is killed, and when they do; I try to make comment or two. But the editors of this blog don't print all of my comments. Their prerogative and there is nothing I can do about it.

Then there are the Black or Latino homicide victims that are not gang related. I chose not to comment on them because my interest is in the criminals.

Once again, I am accused of this and that, but the facts are squarely on my side.

And once again, I am proven right on one thing; PC people that lose an argument are very quick to raise the bloody flag of racism. That's the sign of intellectual laziness.

"A smart person knows the Hr is not the time and place for that."

Actually, a smart person reads the FAQ's before making baseless accusations.

— syscom3 Aug. 25, 2010 at 5:14 p.m.

Syscom3

You dont personally know the deceased. The ignorant people they are talking about is you. You are a racist. I see you go to black and latino blogs and leave negative remarks. I went and looked at the white Hr blogs. You dont leave any comments there at all. You are a racist, ignorant, person who needs professional help and it would be a blessing to everyone who has or will have a black or latino loved one on here if you would also not leave comments on their HR report the same as you dont leave comments on the white deceased HR. Also I hate to disagree with one of the bloggers who said you were smart. A smart person would not leave disrespectful comments for love ones to read that were in mourning. A smart person knows the Hr is not the time and place for that.

— Sheba Aug. 25, 2010 at 12:43 p.m.

Ok everyone this negativity has taken a life of it's own. We asked the LATimes to print Ardis death in hopes that maybe someone at the party may have had time enough to regret not saying what they saw at the party and help the police solve this crime. This was an avenue that we sought out to help the children,family and friends bring some type of closure to this horrible incident. Children are reading this page. We had hoped that friends and aquaintances could offer some personal comments to help the children in years to come by acknowledging there father's good works. All this negativity is not helping the children. You as adults should understand the grieving process. Please refrain from this negative behavior and either offer your condolences. Or you can call me I am listed as Lupe Ross and we can have our own negatitive conversation regarding your negativity put don't involve the children in your simple mindedness.

Now back to our original mission we ask anyone who knew Ardis or anyone who just wants to confort the children to write to the children and family your thoughts. Or if you know of someone that went to the party talk to them and ask them for the sake of the children to make a call to someone.

Lupe Ross

— Lupe Aug. 22, 2010 at 9:49 a.m.

Sheba, this is a public blog about murder. This is not for the faint of heart. If you want a sanitized version of the individual, then go to the obituaries.

There is a time and place for everything. And this blog is it. This is the homicide blog. It gives a voice to those of us who are tired of the blood and mayhem being committed in the killing fields.

BTW, of all the things I have been called and accused of, you are the first to have called me a "man hating" female.

And, It was not me who called him a soldier. It happened, and that gave me the idea that this individual was not what he was cracked up to be. I find it odd that in this day and age, in these neighborhoods to be called a soldier means only one thing yet you think of a soldier in a different context.

— syscom3 Aug. 22, 2010 at 8:34 a.m.

RolMan,

As a matter of fact, yes. Most people who refer to their loved one as a soldier are in fact gang associated. I don't think the "comman" man has a right to call themselves or each other soldier. This man I doubt very seriously had any idea what is was like to put on a uniform every day and wait for the next gun to go off. So as a soldier it is probably the hardest thing in the world to do especially in times of war like we have been for the past few years. To be called a soldier is an honor that some of us have worked long and hard for. To call someone soldier with out actually having to earn that right is wrong. And just because he called himself a soldire or just because you call him a soldire doesn't make it so. That's an honor that one earns to isn't bestowed upon anyone just because.

— Jeb Aug. 21, 2010 at 10:31 p.m.

Ardis was a good father always attentive to all his childrens needs. He was a good friend to all. He never turned his back on anyone. That may have been his down fall. Ardis did not deserve to be gunned down like a dog. He has always treated people with respect and dignity and everyone should show that same respect now and tell what you saw at the party if you attended the party so that this crime can get solved. Ardis had 4 biological children whom he loved very much and he also had two brothers he adopted as his own. Ardis cared for "boggie" as we know him also. I say this to say that he had a heart and cared about people. I hope this crime gets solved soon. Ardis and I owned two group homes and he was a very good owner/administrator. The best friend anyone can ever expect to have. Ardis belonged to a non-profit agency called Brothers Against Banging Youth to prevent children from joining gangs. He wanted children to be save and protected and not have to suffer.

Ardis you will always be my heart......

Lupe

— Lupe Aug. 20, 2010 at 5:50 p.m.

Some one called Ardis to come to the black widow's party he had not planned to attend the party. She was a stalker. You knew when you made that call to Ardis you were part of this conspiracy. He was only there for about 30 minutes and was leaving he was in the street at his van leaving when he was asked to come back and he was shot. That in it self sounds like a set up. The shooter yelled out to the black widow that it was for her. So she knows the shooter she was dancing with him. So those that heard "that statement" should say what they heard and quit acting scared. What if it was someone killed that was in your family or a loved one. The lil one was standing with the shooter. Ardis was a good person, helped everyone and believed that bad people could be good people. He didn't want kids joining gangs anymore. He wanted them to have a future, choices just like what he wanted for his own kids.
A woman scorned several times and men around her come up dead these are fathers being taken from their children and loved ones and a worthless lil one took him from his children and friends. I hope the truth comes out, all the lies out there now have to stop Ardis was a good person and deserves to have his death resolved.
Although it was a good cloud screen to say it was a gang shooting when you wouldn't even come out from behind your apartment door and blame it on a gang shooting. The Inglewood police dept. needs everyones help to solve this murder. Ardis was a very good father took good care of his children and ran a business. He was helping to protect children at a local park while they played outside by providing security for them. The scary Black widow and the sorry lil one and everyone else that had something to do with setting up Ardis to get killed should stop the lying and say it was personal and don't blame it on gang activity.

— Lupe Ross Aug. 20, 2010 at 9:13 a.m.