Authorities announce $30,000 reward in Carson shooting deaths of 19- and 17-year-olds
Authorities announce $30,000 reward in Carson shooting deaths of 19- and 17-year-olds
by Alma Fausto
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced on Wednesday that $30,000 was being offered as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for gunning down a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl as they sat in a car in Carson.
On the night of Dec. 15, Erin Lavender and Dalelaja Hearn were inside a parked vehicle along with three others in the 20300 block of Alvo Avenue, Los Angeles sheriff’s officials said. It was around 8:50 p.m. when two suspects in hooded sweatshirts walked toward the car and one of them fired several rounds into the vehicle indiscriminately. Lavender and Hearn, who were sitting in the front seats, were hit.
Villanueva told reporters at the news conference in Los Angeles that a $10,000 reward had been recommended by Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, which had already been publicly disclosed, and a second reward of $20,000 was also offered from the city of Carson and approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as well.
“These ladies were just beginning their lives, and we need the public’s help to locate those who are responsible for this heinous crime,” Villanueva said.
Officials told reporters at the news conference that one of the others inside the car saw the two were struck by gunfire and got into the driver’s seat and drove them to a hospital, where they died.
During the news conference, officials played surveillance video showing the two hooded suspects walking from the scene.
Homicide Bureau Lt. Brandon Dean said investigators are trying to find the driver of a light-colored SUV, which was seen in the area, who might have witnessed the murders.
“We believe they might have witnessed this horrific event and could shed some light on what happened,” Dean said.
Lavender, 19, was a college student and avid softball player. Hearn, 17, was a high school student who also played softball. The two had just attended a memorial for a friend who had passed away, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Tipsters can call the Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
All credit goes to Alma Fausto Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com
