UPDATE: LBPD Investigators Now Believe July 4 Gunfire Area PCH/Walnut-Gaviota -- That Caused Officers To Take Cover -- Was "Likely Multiple Shooters Involved In A Separate Incident" Not Targeting Officers, Investigation Continues
It was 31st LB shooting crime scene (fatal + wounding + no-persons hit) since May 7
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(July 5, 2019, 2:20 p.m.) -- Updating a story reported shortly after dawn July 4th by LBREPORT.com, LBPD Public Information Officer Arrantxa Chavarria tells LBREPORT.com that LBPD's preliminary investigation has led investigators to believe that 1 a.m. hour gunfire in the area of PCH/Gaviota-Walnut (near Chittick Field/just east of LBCC) that cuused officers responding to a hit run/incident to take cover and prompted a SWAT callout/closure of PCH for several hours was likely multiple shooters involved in a separate incident not targeting the officers.
PIO Chavarria said LBPD Chief Robert Luna conveyed this preliminary information to rank and file officers later in the day July 4th via an internal memo [rank and file responders would have additional cause to be concerned if officers were being targeted] and the updated information was provided to LBREPORT.com today (July 5) by LBPD PIOs and DePrez (as PIOs were out of the office July 4th.)
The updated information confirms LBREPORT.com's decision at the time to treat the gunfire as the 31st shooting crime scene (fatal + wounding + no persons hit) within 58 days. (Since then, on the evening of July 4th, a bullet flew through the window of a woman's home in the Wrigley district (area Chestnut Ave./Burnett St.) in the 32nd shooting crime scene in 58 days, LBREPORT.com coverage here.) PIOs Jennifer DePrez and Chavarria both indicated that LBPD's investigation of the PCH incident is continuing.
Shortly before dawn July 4th, LBREPORT.com learned and LBPD's overnight Watch Commander indicated in preliminary information that officers were investigating a possible hit and run in the 1600 block of E. PCH (roughly Gaviota/Walnut Ave.) when they heard gunfire, took cover and [apparently because the shots were nearby] it appeared that some person(s) were firing at the officers. LBPD activated SWAT and blocked off PCH in both directions from Cherry to Orange Aves.
6:30 a.m., PCH @ Cherry, looking west
Jan 1, 2018 to date: Red Xs=homicides; Blue Xs= shootings, person wounded; Brown Xs=shots fired at victim(s), not hit; Purple Xs=shots at occupied residence/vehicle; Green Xs= shots at unoccupied vehicle/residence; Grey Xs=shots fired (no hit, no target identified); Orange X's=non-fatal stabbings; Blue * asterisk=victim hit, police unable to locate crime scene. Map is unofficial.
[Scroll down for further.]
Map below shows shootings in between Jan. 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017.
On July 2, in response to LB's 29th shooting crime scene (July 1) in which a man was fatally shot and a boy wounded in the 1200 block of MLK Ave.), LBPD announced in a release that it will utilize "Neighborhood Safe Streets" [General Fund budgeted] funding to "deploy additional resources in key areas and increase high visibility patrols along the Anaheim Street corridor and throughout the South Patrol Division."
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In FY13, a Council under former Mayor Foster erased LBPD's field anti-gang unit (LBREPORT.com detailed coverage here) and Councils under Mayor Garcia haven't restored the field anti-gang unit despite voter approval of the June 2016 Measure A "blank check" sales tax increase (bringing City Hall roughly $60 million annually.)
Failing to restore funding for the field anti-gang unit also occurs in the context of the Mayor/Council's failure to restore 186 citywide deployable police officers that LB taxpayers previously had, leaving LB with the thin per capita police level chart and details here.)
At the April 30, 2019 Public Safety Committee meeting, 4th district Councilman Daryl Supernaw (took office May 2015, seeking re-election in March 2020) described current staffing as basically still providing the same anti-gang functions as previously. Below is a transcript of a salient portion of that April 30, 2019 agenda item.
Councilman Supernaw: I'm going to bring up a topic that has appeared before and that is field gang units, and to our esteemed chair here she's probably say "asked and answered" in her parlance but I think it bears repeating just so members of the community don't bring this up again.
My understanding is that the function of the field gang unit still exists but we don't specifically have a field gang unit. I guess I would say back when we did, that field gang unit could take on other responsibilities at any given time if there were burglaries, they could be assigned to that for a day, and I don't want to divulge how any systems work, but from what I understood you to say in terms of intervention strategies, that there are gang officers and the Direct Enforcement Officers within in a patrol division can function at any given time as a field gang unit. Would that be accurate?
Commander Robert Smith: Councilman, I would say that the Directed Enforcement Teams, they have many functions but one of their emphasis is certainly on gang crimes.
Councilman Supernaw: OK, thank you. And in terms of the crimes being committed, I'll just speak for the 4th Council district, we need to put things in perspective. In 2013, the 4th district specifically Beat 11, led the city in homicides with 8. Knock on wood, we haven't had a homicide in the 4th district for over two years, so thank you for the great work.
(Audio of the full agenda item (LBPD testimony plus Councilmembers' responses) runs about 22 minutes. LBREPORT.com has made it easily accessible on-demand at this link.)
[LBREPORT.com commented at the time: "Councilman Supernaw hasn't applied similar reasoning to justify the Mayor/Council's failure -- despite his persistent efforts -- to fund restoration of Fire Engine 17 at Station 17 (Argonne Ave.) in the eastern part of his district. He hasn't tried to justify the status quo by arguing that Engines 5 and 19 already perform a similar "function" to what Engine 17 performed. That's because the status quo is less on a serious public safety matter than what LB taxpayers previously had and deserve."]
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The 31 shooting crime scenes (person-hit shootings plus "no-person-hit" shootings) are:
May 7: Man shot/wounded at Market St./Pine Ave. (8th district, LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 10: no-person-hit shooting, 1000 block of Minerva Park (2nd dist., LBREPORT.com coverage here)
May 10: Man shot/wounded inside a business in the 4900 block of LB Blvd. (8th dist., LBREPORT.com coverage here)
May 11, no-person-hit shooting in the 800 block Daisy Ave. (rounds hit unoccupied vehicle and building, LBREPORT.com coverage here).
May 11, man shot/wounded in 900 block of Daisy Ave. (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 11: Triple-victim shooting on Andy St. (LBREPORT.com coverage here)
May 11: Person shot/wounded in the 200 block of E. Artesia Blvd. (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 12: 600 block E. Esther (Poly High Area), casings found, no person(s) hit; LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 12: Shots fired at bicycle rider, 4900 block LB Blvd. (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 14: Shots fired at two men in parked vehicle, 3000 block Santa Fe (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 18: Six People Shot (Woman Dies + 5 Adults Wounded), 1500 block W. PCH (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 20: LB Has TWELFTH Shooting Crime Scene Within Two Weeks: Someone Shoots At Woman Driving On MLK Ave. Near 11th St. (6th dist.) (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 22: LB Has THIRTEENTH Shooting Crime Scene Within 15 Days: Man Struck By Gunfire Walking In Hellman Neighborhood, 800 block Cerritos Ave. (1st dist.) (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)
May 27: LB Has FOURTEENTH Shooting Crime Scene In 20 Days: Man Is Shot/Wounded Mon Nite Near Front Door Of Addams Elementary School (200 block E. Plymouth St., 8th Dist., (coverage here)
May 30: LB Has FIFTEENTH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7, Central LB Shooting (2300 Elm b/w LB Blvd./Atlantic, 6th dist.) Is Fatal, Leaves Man Dead, Coverage here
May 30: LB has SIXTEENTH shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: NLB Shooting Misses Hitting Person Driving Area South St./Paramount Blvd. (border 8th/9th dists., coverage here)
May 31: LB has SEVENTEENTH shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Man Is Shot At Midday, 400 block E. 17th (Near Linden b/w Atlantic/LB Blvd., 1st Council Dist.)coverage here)
June 2: LB has EIGHTEENTH shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Multiple Vehicles Struck By Gunfire, 17th/Locust (1st Council Dist.) coverage here)
June 5: LB has NINETEENTH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: TWO Men Shot, A Double Homicide In Broad Daylight, 5500 block Atlantic, 8th Dist.), coverage here)
June 9: LB has TWENTIETH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Man Is Shot/Wounded Late Sun Afternoon, 6100 Block Atlantic (9th dist., area of new "The Uptown" comm'l development), coverage here)
June 12: LB has TWENTY-FIRST Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: May Is Shot/Wounded, 1300 block E. 68th St. (9th dist., coverage here.)
June 13: TWENTY-SECOND Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Vehicle Struck By Gunfire, 1000 block Gardenia (just west of Cherry, border 2nd/4th districts near 6th, LBREPORT.cpm coverage here
June 19: TWENTY-THIRD Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Man Is Shot/Wounded, 2300 block MLK Ave. (6th dist.)
June 20: TWENTY-FOURTH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Someone Shoots At Man Sitting In Car Just West Of Coolidge Park (south of Artesia Blvd., West of L.A. River), coverage
June 24: TWENTY-FIFTH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: TWENTY-FIFTH Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Two Men Are Shot/Wounded, W. 31st St Along South Side Of Silverado Park, coverage here
June 24 and June 30: TWENTY-SIXTH and TWENTY-SEVENTH Shooting Crime Scenes Since May 7: Two Blocks Apart, Casings Found, No-Persons-Hit, Orange/Lemon Neighborhood South Of Hill St., coverage here
July 1: TWENTY-EIGHTH And TWENTY-NINTH -- Incl. A Homicide -- Shooting Crime Scenes Since May 7: Approx 4 p.m.: A Boy Is Shot/Wounded Atlantic Hill (6th Dist); Approx. 8:30 p.m., A Boy Is Shot/Wounded AND A Man Is Shot/Killed, 1200 Block MLK (6th Dist.), coverage here
July 2: 30TH LB Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Someone Shoots At Two People, Misses Hitting Them, Area 14th St. West Of Junipero (4th Dist.), coverage here
July 4: 31ST Shooting Crime Scene Since May 7: Some Person(s) Shoot At LBPD Officers, 1600 block E. PCH (Just East of LBCC Campus Near Chittick Field, 6th dist.); Officers Take Cover/None Hit, SWAT Activated, No Suspect(s) Yet Identified, coverage here
For a continually updated chart showing LB shootings/homicides by Council district click here. To see details on LB's police and firefighter levels for taxpayers, click here.
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