Separate but related shootings have left three victims dead and two wounded in Downey, California, 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles. One crime scene is an office and the other is a nearby residence associated with the business. The shootings were reported five minutes apart, and all five victims are related. Here’s what you should know.
1. The Suspect is on the Loose; Cops are Seeking a Black 2010 Chevy Camaro
The Camaro’s California license-plate number is 6LEA010. The car is registered to one of the victims. It was carjacked and driven from the business to the residence. It isn’t known if the shooter transported victims from the business to the house but the car was driven there.
2. The Suspect is a 30-Year-Old Black Male, “Armed and Dangerous”
The gunman is described as black, 6 feet tall, 230 pounds. The police have confirmed that he was not a former employee of the business. Police also have said they are not ruling out the possibility of more suspects.
3. There are 2 Crime Scenes, One a Business & the Other a Nearby Residence
Google Street View.
United States Fire Protection Services is a small, family-owned business located across the street from a Coca Cola production and sales center. It sells professional firefighting gear such as hoses and extinguishers. The business is located at 8722 Cleta Street; the home (below) is located at 8518-8520 of the same street. The owner of the home is Antonio Salinas, who is also linked to the trust that owns the business.
4. Victims Were Killed at Both Locations
Downey shooting: mom was kidnapped, fatally shot in front of her son, sources say. Son was shot in the arm. — Downey Patriot (@DowneyPatriot) October 24, 2012
A male and female victim are dead at the business; a female victim is dead at the residence. Two more victims are injured and being treated — a male and female both expected to survive. All five victims were related.
Presser: Male and Female, both adults, dead at the business. Female dead at residence. #DowneyShooting
— Kelsey Duckett (@KelseyDuckett) October 24, 2012
The police have said that all of the victims have hispanic surnames but did not comment on their ethnicity.
5. Cops Do Not Have a Motive
Despite local media reporting earlier that the shooting was related to drugs, the police have since confirmed they do not believe that to be the case. They have no leads on the motive but said that ATF agents were on scene to provide “other services”. Further to this there was nothing missing from the home nor was it ransacked when police arrived on the scene. There was also some exchange of words between the victims and the suspect but not a struggle. The family was targeted and this was not a random attack but Downey police say that they suspect was unknown to the family.
Police think shooting may have been drug-related, possibly a “drug hit.”
— Downey Patriot (@DowneyPatriot) October 24, 2012
6. Cops Say the Shooting is “Professional”
Police officials are privately calling the shootings a “professional hit. Very planned.”
In a press conference, police have been adamant to state that it was not a random attack.
— Downey Patriot (@DowneyPatriot) October 24, 2012
7. The Owner of the Business was out of Town
Neighbors say owners wife was the victim at US Fire and Prevention. Husband out of town. #DowneyShooting
— Kelsey Duckett (@KelseyDuckett) October 24, 2012
But his wife, who works as a secretary, was there in the office. It is a family owned and operated fire safety retailer dealing in extinguishers and fire hoses and employs 8-10 people.
8. Cops Got the Call about the Business Shooting at 11:12 a.m.
The cops arrived on scene at the business within three minutes of the initial call. While they were there the 911 call came from the private residence reporting another shooting. That call came from a 13 year old boy who is one of the wounded.
9. The Owner is Apparently in Financial Distress
3518 Cleta Street.
The business as listed “in distress,” meaning that it’s behind on loan payments and in need of a buyer. The home is also for sale and in default, according to the Daily Bulletin:
The roughly 3,500 square foot home, which has two units, is listed for sale at just under $500,000; multiple loans have been taken out on the property, and the first notice of default was issued in 2011 and a second was issued this year. The business is also listed as a “property in distress” by DataQuick, a property records database.
10. Neighbors Witnessed Bloody Horrors
Photo by Stephen Carr of Long Beach Press-Telegram.
According to the L.A. Times, neighbors described a shocking scene that included a bloody teen boy running from the house:
Grace Mendez, 33, said she was driving down the street just after 11 a.m. when she saw a teenage boy bleeding and screaming hysterically. “He was screaming, ‘Oh my God, oh my God!'” Mendez said. “And then I saw that he was shot in the shoulder blade and stomach.” As she approached, Mendez said she saw police trying to calm down the boy. “He had gone into complete shock,” she said. Further down the street, she saw a woman sitting outside on a low cement wall, bleeding heavily from her head.