LA shooting spree: Two alleged gang members charged with murder of 4 people
LOS ANGELES - Two alleged gang members involved in a shooting spree that killed four people have been charged.
Gary Jonathan Garcia, 42, and Timberland Wayne McKneely, 20, have each been charged with four counts of murder and two counts each of attempted murder. If convicted as charged they face life without the possibility of parole.
The LA County DA's office is requesting Garcia and McKneely be held without bail.
On the night of Feb. 11 and into the early morning hours of Feb. 12, officials say Garcia and McKneely went on a random shooting spree in Bell, Florence-Firestone, Cudahy and Huntington Park.
In total, four people were killed, including a 14-year-old boy.
Law enforcement said the shootings were random and there was no indication the suspects knew any of the victims.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 'Random murder spree': Two arrested, one suspect sought in 4 shooting deaths across LA County
"They all appeared to have been targeted randomly as they merely moved about their daily lives," DA George Gascón said during a press conference Thursday.
"I want to assure the families and the community that we will spare no effort in our mission to seek justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves," he added.
Police believe a third suspect may also be involved.
Timeline of events
The first shooting occurred outside the Martha Escutia Primary Center in Bell, Sunday, Feb. 11 around 10:30 p.m. Officers arrived and found 24-year-old Kevin Parada, a husband and father who lived nearby, dead from a gunshot wound. A second man was found at the scene but he was not injured. Officials say Parada was shot dead when a passenger in a car pulled up and opened fire. He leaves behind a young son.
The second shooting happened just after midnight, around 12:04 a.m. in the 1500 block of East Florence in the Florence-Firestone area in a shopping center parking lot. The victim - a man suffering from gunshot wounds - died at the scene.
The third shooting happened about 12 minutes later outside Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy. Two teenagers were shot--one died at the scene and the other was taken to the hospital. The victim was identified as 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr. According to authorities, he and his friend were talking when the shooter drove up and shot both of them.
As for the fourth shooting… around 1:55 a.m, an officer from the Huntington Park Police Department was driving in the 6300 block of Santa Fe Ave. when he saw a person lying on the curb. The officer checked on the man and observed that he had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The arrest
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department soon learned that a Honda Pilot SUV was seen on surveillance video at all four shooting locations. Officials circulated a law enforcement bulletin to notify local law enforcement agencies.
Deputies in San Bernardino County spotted the suspect's vehicle and conducted a traffic stop where the suspect was arrested. Investigators were also able to identify a second suspect who was arrested by a sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau team in Compton.
The sheriff's office believes both Garcia and McKneely are gang members but a motive for the shooting spree is unknown.