DOWNTOWN A shooting that took the life of a 28-year-old man in the Pico Neighborhood on Saturday has been deemed gang related, police said.
Byron Lopez was murdered by two African-American suspects while walking in the 2000 block of Court 19. Detectives are still searching for the suspects, said Sgt. Renaldi Thruston, with the Santa Monica Police Department.
The night Lopez was shot a gang task force involving officers from various agencies throughout Southern California was assembled.
But instead of patrolling the Pico Neighborhood, which has been the center of gang activity in the city for nearly 20 years, the officers involved in the task force were assigned only to the western side of the city, patrolling along Lincoln Boulevard into Marina del Rey in an effort to keep suspected gang members from coming into the city at a time when hundreds gathered at John Adams Middle School for a fireworks show.
The task force was formed in response to a stabbing that occurred two weekends ago adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier, Thruston said.
Some have questioned why the task force was not assigned to the Pico Neighborhood, where two known Santa Monica gangs are based.
Thruston said extra officers have been assigned to the Pico Neighborhood on a regular basis for some time and that command staff wanted the task force to focus on preventing gang members from coming into Santa Monica from Venice. Santa Monica College, which hosted the fireworks show, assigned its officers to patrol JAMS. SMPD officers were also working the fireworks show.
The weapon used in the shooting is still unknown. Officers are waiting for the coroner to send evidence to the SMPD for testing, Thruston said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 2, 2008. Read the original PDF.