Young father gunned down at Altadena burger stand was 'not some street thug'

Nov. 10, 2014, 6:57 a.m.

Christoper Walker pictured in an undated family photo The day before Halloween, Christopher Walker, 26, sat on the patio of an Altadena burger stand off Fair Oaks Avenue about 4:30 p.m.

He'd stopped on his way to pick up his 5-year-old daughter from kindergarten.

A light-colored sedan drove up. A person got out and shot at Walker multiple times. Then the shooter got back into the car and fled east on East Calaveras Street.

"No words were exchanged," said Lt. Holly Francisco with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. It was the first homicide in Altadena, where Walker grew up, since 2012.

So far, investigators are looking for witnesses, and Walker's friends and family are stunned. After a rocky childhood, his parents, Ursula and Richard Walker, thought they had their son back.

"The man who was murdered was not some street thug," his father said.

Christopher Walker had a steady job in marketing, a girlfriend who had moved with him from Arizona, and two children. His life contrasted sharply with the choices he had made in the past.

The trouble started when Christopher was young. Richard Walker, 60, took his son to Loma Alta Park in Altadena to play sports. Slowly, Christopher made friends with the other children in the neighborhood.

By the time Christopher was 11, he was spending most of his free time at the park. He became involved with gangs, trading his real name for the moniker "C Madness."

His parents felt helpless. His mother brought mentors around in an effort to help her son.

For many years he seemed lost to them. He dropped out of school and moved to Arizona. His jobs were at bakeries or grocery stores. Then a year and half ago, Christopher came back to California with his girlfriend. He had changed.

On workdays, he arrived at his parents' home by 5:50 a.m. He'd drive with his mother to downtown L.A., where the two worked blocks from each other. At the end of the day, they'd drive home together.

"I would tell him about my day," said Ursula Walker, an office manager. "If I had a bad day, he would say, 'I'm sorry, Mom.'"

In the Walker home last week, photos were strewn on the coffee table, gathered for a slide show for Christopher's funeral. Trophies from basketball, football and baseball took up multiple shelves. Ursula and Richard Wallker at their Altadena home.

Richard and Ursula had been engaged parents to all their children, reading to them at night, educating them in private schools, trying to keep them engaged in sports and after-school activities.

"You name it, we did it," Richard Walker said. He sat on a white leather couch with his wife and two daughters.

He recalled a moment in June when he crossed the finish line for a 50-meter race at the Pasadena Senior Games and Christopher was there, with a large smile. He told his father how proud he was.

"He was just really happy," Richard Walker recalled. He qualified for the National Senior Games and plans to dedicate the race to his son.

As news of Christopher's death has spread, his friends, some from his gang life, have stopped by to offer their condolences. The friends have told the Walkers that instead of talking about the streets, their son was speaking about the future, his job and his family.

Investigators said they do not know whether Walker's past played a role in his death. Despite his previous gang activity, he never served time in prison.

Christopher's daughter has asked for him. She told her mother that her father never brought her chips and a drink that day.

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 Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Photos: Top, undated family photo of Christopher Walker. Bottom, Ursula and Richard Walker at their Altadena home. Credit: Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times

39 reader comments

As the mother of a slain 26-year-old son, the eldest of three children, and our only boy, I deeply sympathize with any family member who has lost a child to violence. My son, Christopher, was a gainfully employed, young (black) father when struck down from behind in broad open daylight as he waited for a burger at a fast-food stand. It will soon be a year since that Thursday afternoon on October 30, 2014. Yet, the senselessness of it all is unfathomable. Killed by a gang-banger—it was another young black ‘brother’ who took Christopher’s life and changed the lives of his family forever. No arrests have been made. Yet, we have witnessed no transparency or community protests.

They say, "Black Lives Matter". Yet, Christopher’s life has not mattered to anyone except his family, and a few close friends. I am sickened at the recent levels of societal outrage and media attention given in cases of law enforcement involved deaths. According to FBI statistics, a violent crime occurs every 25.3 seconds in our nation. Generally speaking, about three people die per hour due to violent crime each day—which, for 2013, totaled 16,000 violent deaths as reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Unrelated to police officer shootings, these deaths are due to basic street criminality. In addition, more specific figures indicate that black homicide victims generally fall prey to young black-male killers.

In a nation wounded by violence, it is incomprehensible to see people demanding justice and or suggesting changes in legislation, when the same people remain silent and indifferent to the rising plague of violent killings by young blacks that run rampant on our city streets. Additional scrutiny may help to improve some procedures in law enforcement. But the “good” black citizens also,have a responsibility to change--as most of us are still unwilling to share in the blame.

The balm for our ills will not be found in empty rhetoric and distracting, attention-grabbing statements made in today’s social and traditional media. Honesty—or the lack thereof, plays a huge role in that we are so un-willing to analyze things on a case-by-case basis. Using these meaningless words and phrases in response to various media situations is a simple tactic used by those with personal interests. In addition to being a most racist statement, whoever coined "Black Lives Matter" forgot to send out a memo to the thousands of blacks who kill each other each day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK74GVYG8_A&feature=youtu.be

— Ursula Walker Aug. 19, 2015 at 5:50 p.m.

Anonymous,
Let's see the family felt well enough to sit down for this interview and pose for pictures. And ultimately get this story out there...grief was not enough to stop them. No matter how flat the pancake there are still 2 sides to the story. The problem with doing this type of story is there is 2 sides to this story. The one side the family always sees with their hearts and the side of people that society sees and the judgment there is always jaded. I feel bad for this mother, she should not be going through this. On the other hand, I am sure her son laid out his own brand of justice when he was involved in this life style and his actions left another mother feeling just as bad.
I am one of those mother's whose son was jumped all because he didn't want anything to do with this type of thug.

— Forever marked by the past Dec. 11, 2014 at 10:13 a.m.

This is an unfortunate situation for the family and society. This young man spent a good majority of his life in that culture. Starting @11 years old he was just a baby, but he was deep in the heart of that life style even taking on a menacing moniker. What we do now will be come the past that people will judge us by in the future. The past is unforgiving, there are no words to bring comfort to a mother who has lost her son, time will heal the immediate pain but you will never truly recover from this. It is a sad take on this life style that you never truly walk away...there is always going to be someone from that life that will find you and remember him not as Christopher but as C-Madness. Above all else Christopher should have known that he would always be C Madness to someone.

— Claira Dec. 11, 2014 at 9:48 a.m.

November 30th will mark one month that our 26-year old son, Christopher Richard Walker was murdered in the street. There has not been one phone call or letter of condolence from one “Jesse Jackson” or “Al Sharpton--community” type. The local NAACP has been quite silent as well. There have been no marches or offers of concern. Instead, our family--and all who loved our son—we are all supposed to simply go on--business as usual.

Christopher had left his marketing job in downtown LA for the day and had stopped at a local burger stand for a bite to eat before picking up his 5-year-old daughter from her aftercare program. He was not causing any trouble yet he was cowardly gunned down by someone from behind. He was an innocent victim—a contributor to society cut down before getting a chance to live.

The media has focused strictly on the Michael Brown/Police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri for the past several weeks and we seen nothing but rioting in the streets and millions of dollars in property damage as businesses are thoughtlessly destroyed. All told, we may never know the lives and businesses negatively affected as a result of the constant violent protests to the Grand Jury’s decision.

There is a statistic out there indicating that Police have killed over 5,000 civilians since September 11, 2001. To date, my search for murders committed under the heading of gang violence (you know, mostly black-on-black and, or brown-on-brown), for one year alone—has rendered a daunting number of 12,664. These are people who unfortunately became victims of violent murder in 2011 alone. Let’s see now, not to downplay the value of life--but, a total of loss of 5,000 civilians nationwide over the last 13 years equals just about 385 people per year.

Compared to a loss of 12,664 in 2011 (times 13 years), the figure comes to 164,632-103.13% percent higher than the stores received surrounding the death of this young man. Because our own family has personally experienced the pain of the loss of a child, we have nothing to offer the family of Mr. Brown but our sympathy. However, the evidence shows that Mr. Brown had just finished stealing from a convenience store, that he was impeding traffic by walking in the street, and that he was extremely agitated and aggressive toward the local authority—things for all of which he should have been arrested.

Though a terribly unfortunate situation that Mr. Brown seemingly had brought upon himself, protesters continue to focus their time and energy on destroying their own community in the name of justice. Where is the justice for Christopher Walker and other individuals like him struck down every day by numerous acts of gang violence? How long do our loved ones have to cry from the grave? Are e individuals any less important—or any less dead since they were actually killed by their own kind? When will we address the problem in our own back yard?

Sincerely,
Ursula Walker

— ursula denise walker Nov. 25, 2014 at 6:33 p.m.

To the Walkers,
My condolences and prayers to you.
To the braying haters,
A son was killed, a father was killed, a husband was killed. Have you no decency?
You are no better than the thugs who hung out on the corner of Mendocino that night laughing and narrating the events to each other.
I was able to grow old enough to have parenthood and maturity get me off the path I was on at 16. And youthfull stupidity is truly colorblind. A la crosse team, a cheer squad or a fraternity can be a gang as much as any gang of color.
I grieve with the Walker family for their son and that they will not see him complete his metamorphosis and raise his family.

Unless you knew him and hung out with him in the past year, you have no business stating what was in his heart and mind for him. Be kind or be quiet. Don't stand on his death to raise social justice issues.

— ellen Nov. 14, 2014 at 9:10 a.m.

@Bob the gun culture has always been a part of this great Country, no one is promoting anything the gun culture has always existed with that said blaming Hollywood writers for gun violence is ridiculous, the victims pass dictated his final outcome and that's true for anyone who lives or lived the thug life. Read the report carefully it states that no words were exchanged, that's a good indication that this was a planned hit not a random act of gun violence, possible retaliation for leaving the gang or a rival gang getting even. A thugs reputation follows him around regardless if their active or retired, in his case the young man was out ( retired) but his past caught up to him. Firearms in the wrong hands will always result in violence but in the right hands it can and has saved countless lives, don't corrupt the readers mind with your pointless theories about our gun culture, I own several firearms and not once has those thoughts you stated cross my mind.

— Ghost Nov. 12, 2014 at 8:58 p.m.

My heart goes out to the Walker family during this time. Know that God makes no mistakes, and he is yet in control. If we are judged by our past, then we would ALL be in trouble. Luckily for us our God is a forgiving God, and judges the heart of man. The Walker's are a God fearing family, and young Christopher may have made choices that went against what his parents were instilling in him, but our God is a forgiving God. Christopher knew God, and at the end of the day God knew, loved, and continues to love him. Judge not least you be judged. The Walkers are not claiming that their son was perfect, but who on earth is.....NO ONE !!!! Please be mindful that regardless of his past, this family has loss their son, brother, father, relative, and friend. May the peace that surpasses all understanding comfort you all during this time.
Love, Jobea

— kali Nov. 12, 2014 at 8:09 p.m.

To the Walkers, we extend to you our heartfelt sympathies. To lose a son is unthinkable, to lose one by senseless violence is beyond that.

To everyone else, Altadena is not a haven for gang members, any more than anywhere else in the greater LA area is. My husband and I own a store on Fair Oaks, just across the street from Fair Oaks Burger, the site of the murder. It is not a place that sees this type of activity any more, and this event was a horrible surprise. The only way for us to combat this type of occurrence is to populate the place - the more businesses that open here, and the more people that use them, the better. More traffic equals less crime. We want to form a business Neighborhood Watch, so that the merchants here can be more connected, to each other and the community at large. Altadena is a beautiful, bucolic town with many unique shops, and no one should be afraid to come here.

— Lori Webster Nov. 12, 2014 at 6:01 p.m.

To Unknown28, to James, and to All Others:
We very much appreciate the interest in our story and the outpouring of love received at the loss of our son. Just to keep the record straight, we did know, and we still do know that Christopher had some ties from his past. However, we also know that according to his own recent comments and actions that he was turning the corner to let those past things go.
Please do not simply paint us as just one more family speaking in defense of our son—as are known to the police to be parents who called the authorities on our own son several times during the days his youth when he really did have some involvement. Our purpose for speaking to the press was to straighten his record that he had not been arguing or causing any trouble at the time of his demise (as had been previously reported), and also to note to the public the dangers of negative influence on a young mind.
We would like people to know that Christopher (which means Christ bearer), was basically taken from us at the age of 5 when he was negatively influenced by adult gang members who were able to reach him and others under the guise of volunteer work at the local park. We did not realize their plan nor their hold on our son until he was about 11 years of age—which by that time he was an angry young man and unwilling to listen to anything we had to say. This all changed, of course, as he became older. We are grateful that he had finally realized that we were his best friends, and that he had begun to pay attention to those things that we had tried to instill in him after all.
I agree with Unknown28 that blacks and browns are killing each other—a sad but true fact. However, I strongly disagree that any race of people (white or otherwise) are happy about this horrendous event. We all bleed “red” and are all God’s children. This is not the time to make political or racial statements—with this one exception:
Where are those community leaders that scream and cry out when a minority is killed by a person of a different color, or background? Our son is just as dead as the boy in Ferguson. Though I will not take the time now to speak for or against the various marches that went on there, I do not see why there are no marches here against gang violence for our son. To James who wrote that he is deeply disturbed by the prevalence of violence, please know that we agree whole heartedly and place this violent act directly at the feet of the perpetrator, and at the feet of those who promote violence of any kind.
As people continue to make comments about our situation, we sincerely hope that our status and our frame of mind will be considered. Whatever mistakes Christopher may have made, he lived a life of love and reconciliation. We hope others will do the same. Again, thanks to all who have offered a prayer on our behalf. Let’s live, love, and reconcile and may God bless us all.

— Ursula Denise Black Walker Nov. 12, 2014 at 12:14 p.m.

Unknown 28, your comment that the "white man" wants black men to kill each other is a thoughtless, offensive, racist statement. I'm a white man who has worked for the last sixteen years as a teacher in inner-city Los Angeles, and I'm deeply disturbed by the prevalence of black-on-black violence in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and elsewhere in the United States. I strongly believe that most whites don't bear any ill will toward African-Americans, though they may be a bit wary of - or uneasy around - black men. Stop assuming the worst of whites - or blaming whites, in a backhanded way, for black-on-black violence - and stop looking to a mythical being for justice. Jesus isn't going to help anyone who doesn't help himself.

— James Nov. 11, 2014 at 6:08 p.m.

I feel so sorry for the the family's loss. It's just so sad that now days' people don't have feelings and can just take somebodies' life and then don't have a care in this world. I don't care what he did in the past- its not thier place to make that call on his life. Now that person -that called him- got to watch there back. Karma is real, so its going to be a pattern because he was well. Now the police is HOT and they going to wait until every thing settle down and retaliate GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEY SOUL BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO GET REALLY UGLY AND WE DON'T NEED THAT. WHY ALL ARE "BLACK MEN" KILLING EACH OTHER? THAT'S WHAT THE "WHITE MAN" WANT US TO DO. So this is a time in our lives to come together and Pray pray pray pray pray because the DEVIL is trying to destroy our BLACK YOUTH. And to the walker family I am so sorry for your loss. But whoever did this is going to have to pay. Either the streets is going to get them or the jail is going to take them down. Because justice is not in the hands of man, it comes from the almighty Jesus Christ.

— unknown28 Nov. 11, 2014 at 12:30 a.m.

The Homicide Report

Young father gunned down at Altadena burger stand was 'not some street thug'

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