Joshua Desmond Gaither, 30

May 10, 2010, 9:34 a.m.

Joshua Gaither, a 30-year-old black man, was shot and killed Wednesday, May 5, in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Police responded to a call of a person down about 1:15 a.m., according to a Long Beach Police Department news release. When they arrived, they found Gaither on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper and lower body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

A motive for the shooting remains unknown; however, it is being investigated as possibly gang-related.

Anyone who may have any information regarding the incident is asked contact Long Beach police homicide Dets. Mark McGuire and Greg Krabbe at (562) 570-7244.

-- Sarah Ardalani

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16 reader comments

I will like to comment on Foclipz, response to this Sad and tragic ending of a love ones life, If you have not witness to any of those aligation of which you speak upon, please do not post falsly on LATimes, you say you are just 27, but speak about something that supposely happened 50 years ago get your fact right Son! And you say people do your research on this family, well it is clearly to see that you have not done yours. Original Gangsters, well lets just say this, you dont know this family, cause if you did, you will not be typing or thinking what you think, its all assumption, and people dont get no where with assumption. There's an animal, like you we call them Turkey's, and if you know anything about a Turkey, you will know that they are one of the dumbest animal alive, its people like you who gives this family a bad rep. By the way if you will like to know the real and more about this family, please go talk to one of them, bring your pencil and paper!

— CP May 22, 2010 at 12:22 p.m.

To reiterate what MG said...GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BECAUSE YOU'RE WAY OFF. You should have respect for the dead and the family of the dead... as you would hope to have someone respect your lost, loved one.

In your post, you are insensitive, and there is no place for that here. Your wording generally describes the FAMILY out of the context of humanity... more in the context of studying an object or a statistic... paying NO MIND to the loss and plight of the brokenhearted.

You may feel the way you feel because you have NO personal knowledge of the family, but this forum is no place to air your idealistic crap.

The Gaither family has been subjected to that type of menial prejudgment for OVER 50 years. You speak as if you're fed up...try feeling and thinking as if you lived on the other side of the coin... because there is one... and no one seems to know or even care about that. Just because one doesn't know doesn't mean they can't. Just because one doesn't care doesn't mean that one shouldn't.

It only takes a moment to change a life forever...you are no exception to that rule. Don't be a puppet.
Keep your credibility-lacking, insensitive comments to yourself.

I offer my condolences to the Gaither Family. Continue to pay no mind to the ignorant, because they don't matter to anyone but themselves. R.I.P Joshua Gaither.

— CC May 22, 2010 at 12:13 p.m.

Im 3 blocks from there...On that Sunday night before he got killed...I heard gunshots..two of them...form 21st n mil area...I was on hill n Mrytle at a friends house...about 11 sumthin..I told my friend let me take off...cus the police would be swarming the area soon...and as soon as I hit 21st and Mrytle..the cops where zoom n up and down Myrtle n Mlk.....I knew something was up...then..this killin happend...Gaither....East Side Long Beach and the name Gaither goes back over 50 years at least......and do ur research if you dont know...their name has been in local newspapers for over 50 years...from when the first one bought a house off of 16th? and Alamitos...to when that man got killed by his wife on 20th and orange in 1971...Gaither and Long Beach...if you know...they are the ORIGINAL GANGSTA family in Long Beach...and they are still gettin caught up in BS...I know their fam is tired of this...it never stops....im born and raised on tha east side..Burnett...To Hughes---To Poly....and im still on tha east...wake up people.....im 27 and I wonder if ima make it without gettin shot

— Foclipz May 21, 2010 at 10:36 a.m.