Authorities announced two men were arrested in connection with the four killings. NBCLA’s Christian Cázares reports on Feb. 13, 2024.
Two people were arrested in connection with a shooting spree that killed four people within a three-hour span in a 5-mile radius area of southeast LA.
Here’s what we know:
Who is behind the shootings?
Authorities identified the two men in custody as 42-year-old Gary Garcia, who has extensive criminal records, and 20-year-old Wayne Timberland with no criminal history.
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Both men are gang members, according to Cpt. Andrew Meyer of the LA County Sheriff's Department.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department supported the LASD's operation to arrest one of the suspects, investigators said.
Four shootings in about 3 hours
The first shooting happened in the City of Bell on Bear Avenue near East 60th Street at around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The LA County Sheriff’s Department said the victim died at the scene.
The second shooting happened about half an hour from the first shooting scene on East Florence Avenue near Compton Avenue in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood. The distance between the two shooting locations is about 4 miles, which would take approximately15 minutes to travel by car.
The third shooting happened in Cudahy with one person shot and killed at the scene at around 12:19 a.m. Monday. The LA County Sheriff’s Department said it happened on Live Oak Street near Wilcox Avenue off the 710 Freeway. Initially, deputies responded to the scene about two teenagers suffering from gunshot wounds. One of them is now hospitalized in stable condition.
Finally, the shooting spree ended in Huntington Park on Sante Fe Avenue near Clarendon Avenue with another person shot and killed at around 2:37 a.m.
How did investigators arrest the suspects?
Different groups of investigators within the LA County Sheriff's Department were initially set out to examine the four individual shootings, but they soon learned they all have a common denominator: a Honda Pilot that was seen near all crime scenes.
Investigators utilized law enforcements resources and techniques to attempt to get the license plate of the suspect vehicle, Meyer said.
About two hours after the LA County Sheriff's Department sent out a special bulletin, warning local law enforcement agencies about the "armed and dangerous" car, deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department pulled over the suspect vehicle and detained one of the suspects.
"It appears to be a random murder spree. However, homicide investigators have not ruled anything out," Meyer said.
Young victims near schools
While authorities have yet to clarify the motives behind the shootings, some of the killings occurred within steps from schools.
For one, the shooting in the City of Bell occurred just yards away from Nimitz Middle School. The Florence-Firestone shooting happened three blocks from Miramonte Elementary School.
LA Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho responded to the shootings in a social media post, condemning violence near the LAUSD schools.
“Overnight murderous gun violence victimizes the youth of our community,” Carvalho said. “As we learn more about the shootings that claimed the life of one teenager and injured another, we stand ready to provide support to the impacted school communities.”
Southeast LA community 'on edge'
Investigators with the LA County Sheriff's Department said it coordinated quickly with City of Bell and Cudahy to arrest the suspects.
"Cudahy is a small city. It's only about 1.2 square miles with a population of about 23,000." Cpt. Brandon Dean said. "Something like this with two juveniles shot and ultimately one deceased hits the community very hard."
Because some of the shootings happened near K-8 schools, the LASD will be offering services to schools as well, Dean said.
The LA County Sheriff's Department is planning to increase patrol in the area.
