There were 17 killings last week in Los Angeles County, bringing the monthly tally to 59 and the year-to-date total to 145 as of March 28, according to The Times’ Homicide Report database.
Countywide killings continue to decline compared with recent years. Between Jan. 1 and March 28, there were 211 killings in 2007, 227 in 2008 and 182 in 2009, according to the Homicide Report.
Kendahl Williams, an 18-year-old woman, was shot and killed Saturday, March 27, in the 900 block of West 68th Street in Vermont-Slauson, in an incident witnessed by police officers, authorities said.
Williams and a group of friends, including a 22-year-old man, were walking on the sidewalk shortly after 10 p.m. when a black 1998 Nissan Maxima with four doors and tinted windows stopped near them, according to an LAPD news release. The front passenger of the car fired multiple times at the group, striking Williams and her 22-year-old friend, police said.
Frederico Paz-Contreras, 45, was shot several times and died Saturday, March 25, in Lynwood, according to coroner’s records. Paz-Contreras was shot in the 4600 block of McMillan Street and pronounced dead at 2:02 p.m.
Vanessa Rankins, 21, was shot in the head on Wednesday, March 24, in Pacoima, according to coroner’s records. Rankins was shot in the 13200 block of Pinney Street and pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.
New this week on the Homicide Report is a curated map of 54 children whose families came to the attention of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services prior to their deaths. Read more about the project – Innocents Betrayed: A Times Investigation.
The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.
— Anthony Pesce and Sarah Ardalani