Geronimo Gutierrez III, 43

Geronimo “Jerry” Gutierrez III, a 43-year-old Latino, died Sunday, Nov. 5, after he was shot in the 10600 block of Imperial Highway in Norwalk, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Gutierrez was shopping at an Arco convenience store at 10602 Imperial Highway around 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, when a 16-year-old girl accidentally bumped into him in the store, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza.

Authorities said the girl’s boyfriend, Nakia Deshone Smith, then began arguing with Gutierrez, and the dispute escalated into a physical fight in the store.

At some point, Smith went to his car, returned with a gun and began shooting, Mendoza said.

The bullets struck Gutierrez in the head and torso, according to coroner’s records. He was taken to a hospital, where he died at 6:56 p.m. the following day.

Mendoza said the bullets also struck a bystander in the store, a 37-year-old Latina who was shot in the abdomen. She was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive her injuries.

Smith, a 20-year-old black man from Victorville, left the scene in a car driven by his teenage girlfriend, who also is black, officials said. The two were arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday, Nov. 6, in Palm Springs, where the girl lives, Mendoza said.

The girl was charged with being an accessory to murder, after the fact, Mendoza said. Smith was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, said Shiara Davila-Morales, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

Smith is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 28, she said. 

Friends have started a fundraising account to help pay for Gutierrez’s funeral and support his four children. He also is survived by his mother and sister, according to the site.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.  

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.