UPDATED With Details On CD6/Saro Broad Daylight Shooting 20th/Pacific In Wrigley District

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UPDATED With Details On CD6/Saro Broad Daylight Shooting 20th/Pacific In Wrigley District

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(Aug. 11, 2021, 6:10 a.m., updated 11:05 a.m.) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that a few hours before the City Council met to discuss the Mayor/management proposed FY22 police budget, CD6/Saro had a drive-by shooting in broad daylight in the area of 20th St./Pacific Ave. in the Wrigley district.) The shooting in the 4 p.m. hour left a man wounded.

UPDATE: LBPD Public Information Officer Brandon Fahey adds to initial information from LBPD's overnight Watch Commander reported by LBREPORT.com before dawn. PIO Fahey says

On Aug 10 at roughly 4:08 p.m. officers on patrol near the 2000 block of Pacific Ave. heard shots nearby.
Officers began searching the area and found evidence -- including bullet casings and a parked unoccupied vehicle struck by gunfire.
While officer were on scene, additional officers responded to a hospital regarding a reported gunshot victim later determined to be involved in the incident. Officers contacted the shooting victim (a man/adult) who was unable to provide a statement due to his critical but stable medical condition at the time.
Through their investigation, officers learned a group of men (adults) was standing near the area when a vehicle pulled up nearby. An unknown number of suspects inside the vehicle fired shots at the group, striking one victim. Both parties fled the scene prior to officers' arrival.

[End UPDATE]

A few hours after the shooting, City Council members (Aug. 10) signaled no meaningful dissent from Mayor/Mgm't proposed FY 22 police budget that doesn't restore any of roughly 230 officers defunded by previous and present Councils. No Council incumbent sought to change their current FY 21 budgeted officer level that leaves LB with a significantly thinner per capita police level than LA, Santa Monica, Signal Hill.

Chart shows LB police level before Sept. 2020 defunding of 48 additional officers.

In public testimony, over two dozen speakers from various groups urged the Council to defund 25% ($65 million) of LBPD's budget as part of their self-declared "Peoples Budget." Their speakers said LBPD practices violence that doesn't deter violence, said police don't make the community safer and urged diverting current LBPD sums to other spending items they said the community favors. Not one public speaker from any neighborhood, business or community group publicly urged Council to restore any of roughly 230 officers previously erased/defunded.