Kenya Jerome Livingston, 43

Kenya Jerome Livingston, a 43-year-old black man, was fatally shot on Thursday, Aug. 23, in Siminski Park, 9717 S. Inglewood Ave. in Inglewood, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Livingston was a homeless man who frequented the area around the park, according to Inglewood police Lt. Scott Collins. He was in the park about 6:20 p.m., when a masked man walked up and began shooting, according to a department news release. 

Livingston was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:28 p.m., according to coroner’s records. The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the neck. 

On Sept. 6, Inglewood police arrested Christian Joseph Simmons, a 21-year-old black man, on suspicion of murder in connection with Livingston’s death.  

Investigators believe Simmons knew Livingston and shot him in a dispute, according to the news release. Collins said he could not release any further details about the case. 

On Sept. 10, Simmons was charged with murder by a handgun, with allegations that he was associated with a street gang and caused great bodily injury, according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Simmons was also charged with possession of methamphetamine while armed with a Ruger .22-caliber revolver and a misdemeanor count of possession of a smoking device, according to Santiago. Those charges stemmed from an unrelated Sept. 4 arrest by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, and were consolidated with the murder charges, Collins said. 

Simmons’ arraignment was continued to Oct. 17 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court's Inglewood Municipal Courthouse. His bail has been set at $3.09 million. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Inglewood police Det. Gabriel De La Torre at (310) 412-5246. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.