The Antelope Valley Times

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Man killed in car-to-car shooting in Lancaster

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After the shooting, the victim's car came to rest in the Albertsons Shopping Center. (Photo by ED FROMMER)
After the shooting, the victim’s car came to rest in the Albertsons Shopping Center. (Photo by ED FROMMER)

Lancaster – An investigation is underway after a 34-year-old man was shot and killed while stopped at a red light in Lancaster Sunday night, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 8:32 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 near the intersection of West Avenue K and 20th Street West, according to Deputy Kim Manatt of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.

The victim, whose name has not yet been released, was driving west on Avenue K and was stopped at the red light at 20th Street West, officials said.

“The suspect pulled alongside the victim’s vehicle and shot several rounds from a firearm at the victim,” Mannatt stated. “As the victim drove through the intersection, the suspect fired several more times at the victim. The victim was struck multiple times in the upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene,” Mannatt stated.

A Jack in the Box employee said she heard about three to four gunshots, and then she saw a dark blue car jump the center divider, cross the eastbound lanes and swerve into the Albertsons Shopping Center. She saw a silver car speeding away, west on Avenue K, the witness said.

The suspect, described only as male, and the murder weapon are outstanding, according to Mannatt.

No further information was immediately available Monday morning.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323- 890-5500. TO remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

UPDATED 1/21/14: The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Lancaster resident Erik Ungerman. And the suspected gunman has been identified as 40-year-old Jeremy Whitman, who was found dead the morning after the murder from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Read our updated story here.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

99 comments for "Man killed in car-to-car shooting in Lancaster"

  1. I scrolled through all these comments i am surprised I have the strength to type..First I would like to say my condolences to all those who suffered as a result to this tragedy. Second I would like to say that my heart is torn over the reality that alot of minorities have made others feel like every time something happens a gang banger did it. Do you all not see that regardless of race or gender there is a spiritual war fare going on since beginning of time? When I see black folks out and about acting ignorant I am embarrassed, saddened and disappointed all at once because if they knew better they would do better. When you come from a place where you are and have been deprived of resources and love and broken homes and genocide you become a product of that environment. I Blame those who are related to ignorance who feel as though they are “too good” to reach out and correct these passive behaviours and I Blame this system that many of you “Caucasian” Americans who love to point fingers and probably could care less anyways as well as others who pay your lovely tax dollars to these institutions, mental facilities, counseling centers, law enforcement and a laundry list of others who have failed to correct the minds and conditions and stability of those who have fell by the wayside because at the end of the day the city of Lancaster has the last say in what they will and will not tolerate and I am NOT going to run away just because others are afraid of what they do not understand because I understand. I have 3 wonderful children and this is still to me a utopia compared to where I grew up in South Central so either save your community and unstuck your tails or wait on the gates of heaven to open where you will find everlasting peace. God Bless Everybody

  2. Chappel (the pastor) comes from a culture of carpet bagging preachers in a ragtag group called the Independent Fundamental Baptists (IFB). So far, I have documented over 80 cases of child molesting from IFB pastors, elders, deacons, and Sunday School teachers. The killer in this case most likely intended to silence his victim over something. So of course Chappel would sing his praises to high heaven and ignore the inconvenient victim. If you don’t believe me, go to my blog, scroll down, look to the right, and you will see the list of IFB abuse cases where unspeakable and horrible things have been done to CHILDREN in God’s name. And not one IFB preacher, ever, anywhere, has ever condemned the guilty preachers, or expelled them, or even heard the complaints against them in any type of church court or congregational meeting:
    http://jeriwho.net/lillypad2/

    • Seriously? there are about 10 million adults in this country who identify themselves as Independent Fundamental Baptists and you are citing 80 cases of child molesting???? Hey, have you heard about the Catholics lately???? Ooooh! all priests are BAD, right?????????? Now do you see how dumb you sound?

  3. You are so right! I hate going up to Lancaster now because I always have to hear all the white people talk about it going to [removed] because of the minorities. It was [removed] when I lived there! Moved up there when I was 12, first place I heard the n word, moved out as soon as I graduated high school. The AV has always been full of racism now there’s just more minorities to hate. Im white by the way.

  4. This has nothing to do with where we live. It was a dispute between 2 men who knew each other that ended in a tragic way. This could happen anywhere and is an issue of the heart not geography.

    • None of u know what really happened. I knew these two men. One I knew very well. It is very sad. I can not believe this has happened. Please prayer for both families.

      • We also knew Jeremy and he was a very nice caring man. I really am upset with everyone who feels they need to put there 2 cents in and may not have even know him. By the way he is not in hell he is in heaven as so many are saying he went to hell. If you didn’t know Jeremy you should not judge him. Him and his wife lived by us on K4 for a few years and then were blessed with children and moved to a bigger home and then he bought a house behind us to rent out and spoke to him that day he was so excited about having a home to rent out he was like a little kid. Jeremy you will be missed by a lot of people but you are with God now.

        • No disrespect to you but you need to think of the message you are sending to non christians or people who don’t understand religion. What you are saying is that murderers go to heaven.. if you want to state that you nedd to include the bit about needing accept Jesus and asking for forgiveness for your sins. As I have read jeremy did that in 1992 which is awesome but that does NOT FORGIVE HIS ACTIONS. We will never understand the will of God but as a believer I KNOW this was not it. I am outraged at the pastors comments to the newspaper, its almost as he is saying ” well jeremy WAS a good christian so its justified because hey we are all sinners right…” he can pray for anyone he wants, but out of respect for the true victims family he should have kept to himself. I think of it this way…. this man of God hunted a fellow brother in christ down and murdered him in cold blood, and his best friend at that, so how would you feel if your husband or son was the one who had to die knowing his killer was a friend just like you are saying he was to your family… its not that we know he’s going to burn in hell, we just hope he is..

          • How wrong you are. Being saved DOES forgive his actions. Maybe not by all of the humans here on earth but God forgives all sins past, present and future for those who accept him. You may not like it but that is just they way it is. Did Jeremy have to face Jesus in heaven and give an account of his actions and his shame? Of course he did, but Jesus forgives all sins of his believers. Jeremy IS in Heaven, of that I have no doubt. It is what the Bible promises us. Unfortunately you have to read it to feel secure in that promise. This was a tragedy and all of the finger pointing at Lancaster Baptist and Paul Chappell is absurd and just plain wrong. He is trying to be supportive to a widow and her five children. They are also victims in this nightmare. Also, he has reached out to the victims family as well and offered financial assistance. i am sick of the hate being spewed at a man who has devoted his entire life to helping people.

  5. The AV is so full of racism, you all are ridiculous. I laugh at all the “YAY for our community” posts and events, when everyone knows if “you” aren’t one of “them” then “you” are a criminal. A drug dealer. A murderer. A gang member. A pit-bull owner. Oh, yes, and a RACIST WHITE PERSON.

    Signed,
    A Nonracist White Person

    • So being a pit bull owner is just as bad as being a murder?!? Are you stupid?? I own a pittie and he is the sweetest thing ever. You …. you just bring down the IQ’s of those around you.

      • Claudia, I think the poster was being sarcastic, pointing out that the Powers That Be believe there is a problem if you own a Pittie! Not the poster.

  6. No police, no sheriff, no politician could have stopped this tragedy. This was an interpersonal dispute between two friends. There is nobody to blame except the shooter. Whether it was over women, drugs, or even a football game, one individual created all this mayhem. He very well could have realized his mistake, and was unable to live with it. This is the second unfortunate death in this family in the very recent past. Our hearts ache for the innocent involved.

  7. Well there goes your, Ghetto Gang Banging Theory!! Two white, best friends, the shooter a youth minister. I guess it’s just the Wild Wild West now! Or is it just Lancrapper, like it’s always been!??????

  8. This is so sad, I live on the east side of Lancaster and I know every where is a bad area, but im starting to hear now that the Westside is becoming the badder area than the Eastside. I lived here most of my life and I always lived in the East and to be honest I always thought the Westside was the Beverly Hills of The AV. But time is changing I guess… I came to The AV with my parents from Compton to escape the violence in the 80 and 90’s and I guess Compton isn’t the only place bad like many people think.

    but my heart goes out to the family of the victim in this. It just so sad hearing things like this goes on everywhere. I also just heard on the news and on the radio that the victim and suspect knew each other , and I think I also heard hope I’m correct the found the suspect dead. That he committed suicide and if that true its just sad. My heart goes to that family also. We might not know what happened or triggered this.

    BE SAFE EVERYONE AS NO WHERE ON EARTH IS A SAFE PLACE, WE NEVER KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN

  10. My husband and I and all of our children and some of our grandchildren have been born and/or raised in the Antelope Valley. We loved it as kids. Couldnt have asked for a better place to grow up. But this is why we packed up our youngest kids and left there 10 years ago. Sure there is bad and good every where but the valley is starting to sound more like Chicago with the random bs shootings and killings. The city we have lived in for the last 10 years has had 1 (one) murder in the 10 years we have lived here. And that was a domestic violence that carried over from a neighboring town that didnt have a bar for them to go drinking in. I will always be thankful we got our kids out when we did. They dont know a life where shootings or murders occur on a regular basis. I still love and miss the valley we grew up in though………

  11. I knew it was a white guy when the news didnt cover it…they dont care when white people get shot n killed its not good news..when the face of greif is white no one cares…i lost my only daughter in a drive by shooting in 2002 on Easter Sunday…and no News coverage…my friends good friend who is black losy her grandson in a drive by shooting and the media was all over it …interviewing the family…the father …etc…i praise God they did cover my friends story…i just wish they would have covered my daughters murder…

    • Sorry for your loss. I pray that God stepped in and supplied all your needs. I’m praying for you and your family.

  12. Erik Ungerman was my boyfriend of 2 years. He was kind, gentle, and would’ve never hurt anyone. But a drunken brawl with someone who was supposed to be his best friend got him murdered in cold blood. You people really should stop being so dang judgemental and so quick to point the finger at black gangbangers because both Erik and his assailant was white. If anyone here has a heart, please pray for his 16 year old daughter, 2 sisters & father. Thank you

    • I am so sorry for your loss and all of my prayers are with you. I am sorry all of these ppl are starting a full out relgiuos and race war over this rather than for what it was which was an extreme tragedy.

  13. thats why Jesús is away from our County,, cities and every were that they dont let him in.
    He is where everyone has placed him outside of everything. All authorities have been placed by God. The authorities are nothing without God. God will always be God wheather you like it or not

    • I’m sure you have good intentions, but God said He would never leave us or forsake us. I’m sure there are many people in civil service who love and serve God. There is a grieving family out there. Let’s show them some respect and the Love and Grace of God, shall we? Let”s keep the wrath for another day. Inappropriate.

  14. So sad that this thing happen in the evening… too many people out at that time for someone not to see or hear a thing. I pray they catch this person and put them away for good.

  15. Wow… I resided in the AV for 17 years. I must admit, it has definitely took a turn for the worse. Sad to say a few years ago I was in a heated debate defending my people. I was blind to all the ignorance that has now taken over the Antelope Valley. It is no longer a place you can raise your kids. That’s why I packed up my family and got the hell out! I did get “home” sick the first year. The more I went back, the more I realized that [removed] hole is NOT my home. Now you couldn’t pay me to go back. And this is coming from a very proud black woman. Everybody pulling the race card, because it’s the truth. Truth hurts.

  16. I bet you when the smoke clears. It was all over a female. He didn’t look like a gang member and gangs don’t usually shoot random white people only people of their own race (which doesn’t make any sense at all.) Sorry if I offended anyone but blacks and mexicans stay killing innocent people with gang violence in Los Angeles. And yes I am African American and I have witnessed innocent people being slaughtered for no apparent reason. So their is no gang initiation at 8 pm to kill a random person in a car. If the sheriffs are smart they need to talk to his girlfriend or person he was talking to cheating with etc.

  17. I could be way off but – if this man was not targeted or if this was not just road rage I wonder if it’s stupid, nothing-better-to-do gangs and initiations? Those home invasions on the west side not too long ago and this have been very bold. I have noticed graffiti on 35th W and L when I take my son to school. Next day I noticed more. I’m sure the westside is not free of gangs. Just really sucks because this is not the place it used to be when I moved here when I was young almost 20 years ago. We moved to the west side thinking it would be better for our family but truth is it’s bad everywhere. I used to think this is where I want to grow up, this is where I want to grow old. But once you have your own you rethink that. I really hope they catch whoever did this.

  18. We need more prayer for our homeland. God is with the family, reach for Him in Jesus name..No one has life figured out, and problems with our humanity will never end. There are too many cold hearts, its time for change. I LOVE YOU ALL, AND I DONT HAVE TO KNOW YOU TO FEEL IT IN MY HEART

    • That is so true…I don’t know you and I LOVE YOU TOO!! There are extremely too many cold hearted people out here that cares about no one but themselves. These days, you don’t even have to be in a gang. I Pray that God makes changes in people soon because it is seeming to appear that no where is safe to live these days! May God Bless our entire world!

    • God has no place here. God is not even in existence. These people need justice. not magical thinking powers. The family needs action. not pacifism by Religion.
      your god has no power.
      your god has no say.
      your savior jesus is just another Messiah of the sun that humans thought up.
      he is the one of the thousands of sun deities in human History
      the most recent one
      your bible is a retake on stories and myths from ancient cultures dating back thousands of years before your Christ.
      your god. your faith. was a lie. a lie to bog you down. to control your mind to serve the agenda of evil men in power. your nothing but a tool

      1 pair of working hands can do more than a million clasped in prayer.
      and that’s a fact.
      these people need action. action that must be taken. keep your religious babble out the minds of my people.

      • You are so scared that He does exist that you have to put people down because if they are right you will have to answer to Him someday and then it will be too late!! God Bless You and I hope you come to HIM before it is too late

        • Doesn’t take a college degree. I predicted it and I didn’t have to use the tax payers dollars. Their is nothing new under the son and everything is just a cycle. And how I knew that he was white…. You forget how small this community really is.

      • Interesting take that u have but u have it all backwards. Lucifer (Helel in ancient Hebrew) is the god of this world and has lied and deceived for millennia by fabricating all of those false sun gods and messiahs (christs) modeling them after the REAL SON of the Most High Almighty GOD who manifest in the flesh to humanity through His eternal living WORD, JESUS, the Son of Man who was and is the eternal SON of His Father. The Godhead is Jesus, His Father and the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of Christ). Jesus is the real Christ that Lucifer Satan tried to get on his side. Satan deceives through alternative spiritual constructs, and u have fallen for it. YouTube is full of this stuff like “zeitgeist”. Turn to the true God and Saviour Jesus before its too late. He paid for our salvation and the cleansing from sin and he gives eternal life to those who repent (turn to HIM in simple child like faith). Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Call upon Him while there is still the opportunity. He’s coming soon to set this planet straight and u don’t want to be on the side of Unbelief and Lucifer.

  19. I love all the comments about the Sheriff’s Dept and mayor being more proactive. Everytime they do, you get a bunch of people crying foul and discrimination. If the liberals of the city want things done then they’d better realize that police work isn’t pretty and being proactive means people are going to gets their feelings hurt and their feathers ruffled but if your want a safe city then that’s what it takes. When the mayor stopped that biker gang from having an event in Lancaster all I read about was a violation of their free speech so make up your minds what you want people

    • So very spot on Trina., maybe the tapestry commission could patrol the streets along with the mayor.

    • WOW, someone hitting the nail on the head. however the only ones claiming discriminations are the ones committing the crimes. My prayers and thoughts go out to the family and friends. May god stand by your side and guide you through this trying time

    • The minorities aren’t the one’s calling for more proactive policing and they don’t want more policing. I, on the other hand, want the police out there busting criminals, but I don’t want them to raise my taxes to accomplish it.

      • I think its wrong of you to assume that the minorities are not calling for proactiveness. Just because you think its just minorities causing this doesn’t mean that it is true. I myself am a minority and I will proudly and loudly say that the a.v. needs change. My parents moved our family away from L.A. to get away from things like this almost twenty years ago. I want our community to be safe. I want to be able to raise my children without the fear of something happening to them or me or my husband. We need to as a community come together to solve this problem regardless of anyone’s race, ethnicity or nationality. I would love to see my tax dollars for more patrolling, I want all crime to go down and preferably go away. I want to feel safe. I don’t feel that right now. I regret buying my home here.

  20. I know the victim from work. He was a gentle and kind man. This is a tragedy and his family is grieving. No one can understand this senseless crime.

  23. Great analogy and suggestion. The cops are armed and useless because they were stripped of their powers to do their jobs proactively. Go ahead and arm yourself, I don’t blame you. I’d suggest you take all of your assets out of your name and pack a bag to be ready to skip town if you ever do have to defend yourself. Being a victim is bad enough. Being a victim that fought back is even worse. You will just become a household name and poster child for hate. Good luck. Try using the suggested alternatives to avoid becoming a victim: Form a neighborhood watch group, get involved with at risk youth, fund more BS social programs with your hard earned money. That would solve all the woes of society. See how well it’s working for us …?? Said nobody that has ever lived and traveled around the AV, or been a victim of yet another senseless crime.

    • We have 1 to 3 homicides a year at most in the a.v. ( look,at last years stats). Compare hat to the turn of the century or early 90’s. I think sheriffs are necessary and yes, that should have be enable to catch this person in a few days, but given the amount of sheriffs we have in the A.V., meaning a lot , there has been a significant decrease in violent crimes and homicides in the last 10 years. It is possible our homicide detectives don’t have the experience that many others due, wether that is true remains to be seen, I remember a shooting in quartz hill 2004 of niel hacker, shot a critical car care, found by his father who visited him for lunch, no witnesses, but they still caught the man, they’ll catch him, just wait. And watch police presence go way up on the west side as a result, and it won’t be to do any more than catch dui’s and write tickets.

  24. I see the eye in the sky fly by almost daily over this area. I’m not sure what it does other than catching some parolees.

  25. There was a thing going around about the bloods putting new members on by having them kill people in the other car after they flash their lights tell them to turn theirs on.

    • Ummm, wasn’t that a few years ago and isn’t that urban legend material? I thought I read that a while back.

    • That’s Been a rumor since the gang wars of the early 90’s, back then, yeah it happened, today, in lancaster, way to risky to do dumb [removed] like that. Could be numerous motives, marital revenge, hate crime , drug deal gone wrong, u name it it’s possible, don’t be narrow minded to believe social media, not to say u r wrong, I just don’t think it’s a reason to jump to conclusions, No offense intended, but we won’t know till we know, have a nice day

  26. Instead of fixing up the stupid boulavard they should be fixing this city up to much rift raft ghetto people bringing the community down

    • First of all Sally, the phrase is “riffraff”, and it’s spelled “boulevard”. “Ghetto” implies being of poor economic stature. So basically, what your blatantly ignorant and clearly privileged self is implying is that you hate poor people, though I’m fairly certain you mean to say that you don’t like colored folk coming into your town, since that is what the ignorant generally mean when they use the term “ghetto”.

      Since you appear to be highly uneducated, are you sure it isn’t YOU bringing the community down?

      • I know what you mean by ghetto people, but I don’t think the police are in the business of fixing that. It’s just a different culture. Move to the midwest if it’s too much, but who can just pick up and move like that?

      • I don’t think she means that at all. There is good and bad everywhere. You are all over the place and aggressive in your response. I don’t think Sally is bringing the community down, but people who assume, imply, contribute nothing beneficial to our community and go off the handle at nothing.

  27. I am willing to bet that this was not a random act of violence. It is almost a certainty that the victim and the suspect knew each other. As such, the victim’s friends and/or family probably have a pretty good idea as to the identity of the killer. One can only hope they do not clam up when talking to authorities.

    • The ironic pleas for help, wailing in the street, then unwillingness to help those racist police.

    • I bet you when this all said and done it was over a female. He didn’t look like a gang member and gangs don’t usually shoot random white people only people of their own race which doesn’t make any sense. I can almost guarantee this drama is over a woman.

    • There are several large houses on Ave. K that may have security cameras also but I’m sure they are looking at all these possibilities.

    • Don’t worry, guys! The eye in the sky should have been flying at that time! I’m SURE it helped to catch this criminal, right???? Everyone go back to sleep! ….. We have become the armpit… no, the TOILET of LA.

  29. Lancaster should be renamed Little Compton, this is why im taking my family and moving far far way from trash

    • Yes, this only happens in Lancaster, CA. There are no shootings anywhere else.

      • Ooh wow a smart ass .
        .. I understand that but I grew up in Long Beach and I’m from the valley but now that I’m a mother in not going to wait around for one of my loved ones to get caught in cross fire and I feel much safer in Long Beach… there isn’t a night that goes by without me hearing shots fired and plus I Nee to get away from people like you I [removed] hate Lancaster!

      • yes its that bad in lancaster this doesnt happen in newhall, Santa Clarita, canyon country, Valencia, Saugus

    • EXACTLY! And adding some Christmas lights, overpriced STRANGE stores, and birds chirping to the BLVD. isn’t changing a thing.

    • Have you been to California City lately. Burgalers roaming the streets at night, vandalizing businesses, aggressive panhandlers…you name it. We would probably have hookers on the streets but so far their women are too ugly to charge for it!

    • Hey now, Little Compton in Rhode Island is a very nice beach town…. I would move there any day…. Calling this city Little Compton would be an insult to Little Compton…. The valley is getting worse as it grows, sad but true….. I will leave this area when I can…. But it is not so bad that I feel I need to just pick up and go…. Now if it gets to the point that these things happen and are not big news because it happens all the time…. Then I would be packing right now.

  30. It is time to lock up these losers. I am tired of gang banging criminals ruining this town. This goes out to the Sheriff’s department (Captain and Mayor). Why don’t you call for action? Look at the cameras that are above the stoplights and you should already have a license plate number released to the community so we can put these criminals away. You have too many resources to not catch these criminals who need to be in jail. To the Mayor of Lancaster I think it is time you start realizing that these criminals are running our town and this shooting happened right around the corner from where you live!! Maybe now you will do something about it. It starts with getting a handle on Gadsden Ave. and the apartments on K-4 between 30th and 32nd west. I think every one knows where the issues lie on the eastside. This has never been a ghetto town but some people are letting it turn into one. I am calling for a leader of the community to come forward and put these criminals away like the mongols were dealt with. It starts with taking back your neighborhoods and knowing who is in them!

    • Well said they spend so much money on all this high teck and they don’t seem to use it waste of our tax payers money

      • I have been around the valley for 60 years and I don’t like what it has become either. I want something to be done, but not at the expense of profiling people who look or dress a certain way. The cops have a hard time doing their job within the constraints of our Constitution, but that is the cost of liberty. The cost of security is freedom, Jefferson and Franklin spoke about that. And, by the way….those things on the signal arms that you think are cameras are actually light sensors. They are for the fire dept., ambulances, etc. When they come up to the intersection they put a strobe light on, it is sensed by that detector, and the light changes green in their favor.

    • There are no cameras above any stop light in town. They are sensors that trigger the timing on the signal when a car crosses the mark on the ground when stopped.

      • Hi Greg, I was told those are cameras but that they are only used in traffic accidents but that could be in other cities and not this one. There are lights with only sensors on the ground without that camera or eye above the light and the signal still switches. But if it isn’t a camera it easily could be made one for these purposes. There are cameras everywhere these days so hopefully they will catch these people.

        • Lancaster used to have cameras at a few intersections (ave L and 20th west, ave K and division, ave J and 15th west) but they were removed a few years ago. And they were located about 100 feet past the intersection on the side next to the side walk. I worked for a company for a few years that installed the sensors like the ones found on traffic signals here in Lancaster.

          • Thanks for the information. I remember the ticket cameras as I used to call them at those intersections. So why do some lights not use those sensors above the street or stop light?

        • LEAPS is a useless waste if money.LEAPS is a useless waste of money.$90,000.00 a month for what?$90,000 a month for what?To put Walmart shoplifters in jail?To put Walmart shoplifters in jail?We need more Sherriffs.We need more Sherriffs.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.More boots on the ground.More boots on the ground.LEAPS is an appendix.LEAPS is an appendix.Useless.Useless.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.

    • Jon;

      Naturally most residents (myself included) would agree with your reasonable demands from the city leaders and Sheriff’s Dept – However take a short trip down memory lane and ponder the outcome of recent events when it comes to using ‘proactive’ measures to combat crime.

      You can thank every bleeding heart local city activist, all of the race baiting media mouthpieces, as well as politics on a level that starts locally and extends all the way to Washington DC.

      Law enforcement can no longer be proactive without serious repercussions from all sides along with the usual unwarranted accusations of racial profiling and bias treatment of anyone that isn’t a Caucasian. As a result, the useful proactive tools that are readily available to law enforcement and can be used to prevent the barbaric acts of violence cannot be applied without a storm of controversy.

      The criminals have the upper hand and were given a lifetime membership in the judicial immunity club when the DOJ sided with the criminals and agreed that law enforcement was unfairly targeting folks because they ‘looked’ suspicious. If you recall, most of the accusations were by people with criminal records who were already on parole or probation and were found to be violating yet another law – Yet all of that was glanced over and when the DOJ and mouthpieces of the likes of Al Sharpton started yelling at the podium, things went south again.

      Note that crime is up, shootings are on the rise again, home invasions, robberies, generally an overall increase in violent crime. The community mouth pieces will deny there is no correlation between the decrease in proactive enforcement and the spike in crime but this speaks for itself.

      Since very little is known about the shooting, just watch and see who reacts and more interesting, how they react as the facts come out. You can bet if certain criteria is met, the media mouthpieces will demand action, march for justice and fill the headlines with accusations that our city leaders and law enforcement do not care if one group of people are targeted and victimized;

      Race cards will be tossed all over the table in this valley. Interestingly enough, if the facts prove it to be minority on minority crime, the families will not have the backing of the race baiting club with their bullhorns to bring attention to another senseless shooting.

      And that’s the problem. Leaders and law enforcement are demanded to do their jobs, yet when they do they’re accused of being hate filled racist scum. When they don’t, they’re accused of lacking any compassion or empathy. Their hands are tied behind their backs, the criminals have all of the rights and the valley is in the sewer again.

      I’m sure I’ll be labeled an ignorant sheet wearing racist for posting this, but that’s fine. Anyone with any common sense (no matter what color you are) can see that this valley needs help. Cops need to be able to do their jobs. If they can’t pull over or detain people without creating an uproar things will continue to get worse. One simple traffic stop can yield a plethora of bad things in the wrong hands or it might not produce anything – But when law enforcement can’t do these things, the bad people slip through the cracks. City leaders can’t eradicate the thug / white trash element from the apartment complexes you speak of because the thugs have more rights then both the cops and the law abiding citizens.

      At the end of the day this was an unfortunate tragedy. Families are going to suffer. A young man is dead. Preventable? Possibly. Will it happen again? You bet. We know who is in our neighborhoods. We can’t do anything about it until after they get caught with the smoking gun in their hands. Don’t blame the city or the cops, the blame lies in the hands of the criminals and the out of touch politicians who sided in their favor.

      As for the Mongols, they tried to fight back but they only had one deluded lawyer who spoke up on their behalf. Case closed. However when a group of loud mouth race baiting media hounds shout loudly into a bullhorn, the good folks become easy targets for the smiling bad guys because they know they’re almost untouchable. Food for thought that definitely doesn’t sit well.

      • Well said AV Truth. I agree with you that the Sheriff’s have their hands full and most of the time tied. We all know that the politicians are the ones who started this by releasing prisoners early. I was a staunch opponent to this because I knew what the repercussions would be and we are seeing them now. I walk in my neighborhood every day so I can be proactive when something bad happens and hopefully be able to help. I’m not one to look the other way because I want my children to be safe. Shooting at each other is pure stupidity and these people never think about who else they could harm until after it happens. Some activists are ridiculous and this has nothing to do with race but with right and wrong. I’m not blaming the Sheriff’s because they do as well as they can being outnumbered. But there will come a time when someone will need to speak up on behalf of the citizens.
        Last year the gang detail found out about a gang that was trying to initiate kids at a park but were able to stop it that time because citizens stepped up when they heard about it.
        We might not be able to stop crime but if everyone was watching out for it, maybe we can at least limit it. We can’t sit back and blame our crappy State for the situations that they have put us in because that will do no good.
        Unfortunately, our city is full of politicians who use this area to better their own lives at the expense of others and this has been going on since an old city manager that Lancaster had.

      • “…I’m sure I’ll be labeled an ignorant sheet wearing racist for posting this, but that’s fine.”

        When you reach the point that you KNOW you’ll be called a racist, you need to stop and rethink some things. For example, when you say “…the DOJ sided with the criminals…”, STOP. The Civil Rights division of the DOJ released a report concluding that the LASD in the AV operates with a systemic racial bias. That means that the cops out here harass people of color.

        If you read that conclusion and think it means that the DOJ “sided with the criminals”, that means you’re equating nonwhite people and criminals. Which is racist as hell.

        • Is it racial profiling when the person they arrested is the actual criminal. idiots from all walks and and colors run these streets but people do not make a big deal of it unless that person is of color. There are no colors, you are a criminal or you are not end of story. the DOJ is simply afraid to pull their balls out and stand behind the officers that are doing there job. albeit there are some officers that should be locked up with the ones that are being arrested there are just as many good ones looking out for the best interest of all of us and yes that means they will get into scraps with the people they are arresting.

    • Let’s not forget about the hookers and escorts. There’s tons if them in the hotels across town and even a few running things from their own homes in nice neighborhoods. The sex workers bring gangs and thugs with them.

      • True. I happened to be heading out to see a friend of mine in Rosamond and there were a lot of prostitutes on Sierra Hwy. in Rosamond too.

      • Nope – sex workers are frequently women who have nothing left to sell but their own bodies, which makes them vulnerable. They are harassed, exploited, intimidated, pimped, raped, assaulted, and killed. They don’t need you or anybody blaming them for bringing the “gangs and thugs” who are more of a threat to them then to you any day.

        • I did volunteer work with some local hookers for a report for my philosophy class. These women here in the AV have the skills, but choose to sell their bodies cause it’s easy, fast money. One of the women named Cindy has a business degree, but hated the desk job and dropped it, cause she likes how having sex for money was fast and easy. A lot of the other women featured on backpage have other jobs or careers, but choose to sell their bodies cause it’s fast, easy money, plus a lot of the. Enjoy sex. These women often employee thugs or gangbangers to protect them from other thugs and pimps. You’ll see that a lot of them refuse service to black men or thugs.

    • “It starts with getting a handle on Gadsden Ave. and the apartments on K-4 between 30th and 32nd west. I think every one knows where the issues lie on the eastside.”

      Welcome to today’s episode of Racism and Classism in the AV!

      For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Antelope Valley, I’ll clue you in. A man was murdered the evening of the 19th. The general public knows nothing about why this happened. However, this lack of knowledge isn’t stopping local resident Jon, who is borrowing the spotlight caused by a man’s death to blame poor black and brown people for ruining his town.

      Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more Racism and Classism in the AV! And the day after that, and after that, and after that…

      • Give it a rest Loren. Honest, hardworking, law abiding citizens of the A.V.,especially those who have lived here most of their lives know who is causing trouble and who is not.
        Political correctness is killing this community, as it is wrecking this country.
        When all else fails, plat the “Race and Class ” card .

      • Loren, If you read back I do not want any of this happening to my family and I said this was about right and wrong not race. You are the one who has made this a race issue. It has nothing to do with racism because no where did I say this was a color issue! Guess what there are many races who can live in a ghetto(do your research) and there are many races(not just black and brown as you put it) that live in the areas that I have spoke about who feel they are unsafe. There are other areas that could be cleaned up too and those aren’t the only ones. It is horrible what happened to the victim and my thoughts are with the family because at first I thought it was a friend of mine and the perpetrators need to be brought to justice for this crime.
        As for your comment regarding no one knows what happened, I know that there was a car to car shooting and an innocent person could’ve been killed since this is where I used to shop with my kids. News flash Loren- it is against the law to shoot at anyone for any reason and I’m sorry if people feel unsafe because this happened near them.