TIP THE POLICE Community shaken
PICO NEIGHBORHOOD — There have been three shootings here in six days, two of which occurred in broad daylight, prompting the police to increase the presence of patrols in attempts to restore order and locate those responsible.
The shootings — none of which resulted in serious injury — have the community on edge, as residents fear for their safety and that of their children, with one of the attacks taking place at Virginia Avenue Park, intended as a safe haven for youth.
The latest incident occurred around 3 p.m. on Sunday in the rear alley of the 1900 block of Euclid Street. Officers responded to a report of shots fired. A preliminary investigation found the victims were seated in a car when the suspects drove up next to their vehicle and fired several shots. No one was injured. The incident appears to be gang-related, police said.
Another attack occurred on Friday, July 7, at 8:45 p.m., at the park, located on the corner of Pico and Cloverfield boulevards. Police said a young Hispanic male was shot in the upper torso and was transported to a local hospital by private vehicle with non life-threatening injuries.
The third shooting occurred on July 4, at 2:02 p.m., in the 1900 block of 19th Street. Officers responded to a call of shots fired. When they arrived at the location, they were unable to identify any victims. However, officers spoke to a witness who said two male Hispanics driving a metallic blue, two-door compact car fired several shots at a 25-year-old Santa Monica resident, who was taken to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries to his right foot and right elbow. The shooting is not believed to be gang-related.
“There is definitely fear,” said resident Ana Jara, a member of the Pico Neighborhood Association, which on Thursday will discuss the shootings and strategies to combat gang violence.
“In years past, Virginia Avenue Park was one of those sacred places where kids and their families could go without worrying about the violence,” she added. “It was off limits, but for some reason, that’s not the case now. It really hits close to home.”
Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts said he has expanded foot patrols in the area of the shootings, including the park, and increased the frequency of helicopter patrols.
“The cycle of violence that has developed over the last week will not be permitted to continue,”Butts said in a statement issued Sunday evening. “It will be stopped by an overwhelming police presence … The individuals involved in these three incidents will be brought to justice.”
Staff at the park also have responded by offering to drive children home following summer programs. The Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Board also planned to discuss the shootings and what can be done to help the youth on Monday night.
“We are very concerned, not only about the recent shooting at the park, but those that have occurred nearby,” said Betty Macias, who manages the park. “I’m saddened by how something like this can affect the community and the way it feels about safety. We have so many wonderful youth we work with every day, but there are just a few who are involved in gangs who can have a very deep impact on the rest of us.
“The shootings are very unfortunate,”Macias added.“But I want the community to know that the park is safe, especially now that we have so much police presence.”
In Sunday’s shooting, the first suspect has been described as a male Hispanic, 14 to 16 years old, standing 5 foot, 6 inches tall with a heavy build and dark hair. He was wearing a black hat with a white T-shirt, police said.
The other suspect is said to be a Hispanic male, 14 to 16 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches with a thin build and dark hair. He also was wearing a black hat with a white T-shirt.
The two were riding in what was described as a late 1980s to early 1990s gray Honda Accord, 2 door, with a black bumper.
In Friday’s attack at the park, the suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 15 years old, standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing approximately 180 pounds, wearing a baggy white T-shirt and shorts. Police believe the incident was gang related, although the victim is not believed to have any gang affiliation.
Another shooting occurred after midnight on July 3 in the 1500 block of the beach involving a 21-year-old Hispanic male from Los Angeles, who was transported to a local hospital and listed in stable condition, police said. The suspects in that shooting were Hispanic males in their 20s.
It is not clear if any of the shootings are related to another. The timing of the shootings, as well as the reported age of the suspects, has many concerned that a summer of violence could be in store for area youth.
“It is disheartening to hear shots again,” said Irma Carranza, a resident of the Pico Neighborhood.“This is how the violence started back in ’98, where we had just a few people get hurt and then that turned into folks being killed.”
In 1998, a rivalry between Santa Monica and Culver City gangs resulted in five homicides within a two-week span, including the killing of two brothers inside a clothing store on Lincoln Boulevard.
As to why two of the shootings occurred in the afternoon, Butts said it could be a result of a change in tactics by gang members from outside the city, who have taken note of an increased police presence in the area at night.
“With that in mind, we have increased our officers assigned to the area so we can cover more hours,” Butts said. “We believe that some of this violence is being perpetrated by someone outside of the community as a result of activity by some Santa Monica gang members. We will be working with probation to more strictly enforce the associated components of the terms and conditions of parole and probation, and strictly enforce those terms by arrest if necessary.”
There is hope that the recent string of shootings will re-energize efforts to end gang violence, an effort that seemed to be gathering momentum following the death of Santa Monica High School student Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez, a 15-year-old who was gunned down while walking with friends a few blocks east of Virginia Avenue Park.
Police are still searching for Lopez’s killer, Butts said. Some progress has been made, but no information could be released because the investigation is still ongoing.
“This is scary because even though those shots fired may have been aimed at someone, bullets don’t have names,” Jara said. “We know people are afraid, but we don’t want to be immobile because of fear. We want that fear to motivate people to act and get engaged in finding real solutions.”
Carranza said to end the violence, the city as a whole must come together and declare, “this is not acceptable in the Pico neighborhood just like it isn’t acceptable anywhere else.”
Carranza pointed to the City Council for leadership. “The council has said that it wants to make Pico a priority,” Carranza said. “Well, then, let’s put the money into it.”
City Councilman Kevin McKeown said he was on the telephone all weekend with the Pico residents to listen to their concerns. He said the council has responded with increased alley lighting, more youth programs at the park and other improvements in City Hall’s budget.
However, “lighting isn’t likely to forestall shootings at three in the afternoon,” McKeown said. “Broad daylight violence requires broad police response, which the chief has promised us. My first concern is for the young people of the city and their safety. Our long-term programs to combat the causes of youth violence continue, but this week we must deal with 15-year-olds shooting at each other, and that is terrifying.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 11, 2006. Read the original PDF.