Man due in court on murder and armed robbery charges

A 19-year-old Compton man is due in court Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 7-Eleven clerk in December and a series of armed robberies, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

In January, Rasheen Childs, who is black, was charged with more than 15 felonies, including special circumstances murder during a robbery and 11 counts of second-degree robbery. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Childs and another person allegedly entered a 7-Eleven in the 5100 block of North Figueroa Street in Highland Park about 10:25 p.m. on Dec. 22 and posed as customers.

Childs then allegedly approached Gonzalo Garcia-Garcia, a 31-year-old Latino, and pointed a handgun at him.  

As Garcia-Garcia started to run away, Childs allegedly shot the clerk one time and fled the store along with the other person.

Garcia-Garcia was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:32 a.m., according to coroner’s records. 

Childs was allegedly involved in five additional robberies, including four in December and one in January, according  to prosecutors.

Childs was arrested Jan. 2. Childs, who is being held without bail, is on probation for two prior convictions, including a 2013 burglary charge and a 2012 possession of an unregistered, loaded handgun.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Note: A previous version of this post said that the crime occurred in the 6100 block of Figueroa.