Incident is fourth homicide this year
A man was shot and killed Monday night in a Santa Monica eastside neighborhood, according to police.
Santa Monica Police arrested the suspect within minutes of arriving at the scene, located at the 2600 block of Pico Boulevard.
Santa Monica Police were called to the area at 8:24 p.m. where several residents reported shots being fired, said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega.
When officers arrived, they found an unidentified man lying on the sidewalk in front of a parking lot on Pico Boulevard who had been shot in the lower torso. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, Fabrega said.
A witness told police that the suspect ran toward an automotive repair shop on Pico Boulevard. Police approached the business and found the suspect. He has been charged with murder and was taken to the Santa Monica jail without further incident, Fabrega said.
Police did an additional search of the area for more suspects and victims, but nothing turned up.
The neighborhood is known to be riddled with gangs and has been the scene of several shootings in past months. However, Fabrega said Monday’s shooting does not appear to be gang related.
This is the fourth homicide in Santa Monica this year and Santa Monica Police have arrested all of the suspects connected to them. One suspect who murdered his estranged wife in March at their residence on Ocean Park Boulevard killed himself when police cornered him in Nebraska.
The area between 25th Street to 27th Street on Pico Boulevard was blocked off to traffic Monday night while detectives investigated the crime scene. No more information was available at press time.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 2, 2002. Read the original PDF.