The Antelope Valley Times

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Teen shot, killed at birthday party in Palmdale

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Eighteeen-year-old Ricky Donale Mitchell, Jr. of Lancaster was shot three times and a birthday party in Palmdale Saturday, May 21, and pronounced dead at the hospital, authorities said. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
Eighteen-year-old Ricky D. Mitchell, Jr. of Lancaster was shot three times at a birthday party in Palmdale Saturday, May 21, and pronounced dead at the hospital, authorities said. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
PALMDALE – An argument led to a fatal shooting at a party in Palmdale Saturday night, authorities said.

The victim was identified as 18-year-old Ricky Donale Mitchell, Jr. of Lancaster, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

The deadly shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, in the 38100 block of 50th Street East in Palmdale, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

The shooting happened in the 38100 block of 50th Street East in Palmdale. [LUIS MEZA]
The shooting happened in the 38100 block of 50th Street East in Palmdale. [LUIS MEZA]
“There was a large birthday party at the location when an argument began between two male[s],” the news release states. “During the argument the victim was shot three times in the torso by the suspect.”

The suspect fled the location in an unknown direction and Mitchell was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

It is unknown if the incident is gang related, detectives said in the news release.

“There is no witness information or additional information available at this time and the investigation is ongoing,” the news release states.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged 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).

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

73 comments for "Teen shot, killed at birthday party in Palmdale"

  1. It is what it is trust me you get what you give..I t’s very sad and disappointing he was young but ignorant in his own way many people wanna say what happened is wrong but both people the victim and suspect are dangerous people if it wasn’t him being killed that night it would’ve been him killing another night it’s all a cycle gang banging or w.e never brought anything good to anyone’s life live by the bullet you will die by the gun I think it’s how its said all I’m saying is life is not guaranteed do right by people and have no enemies squash the dumb beef because when [removed] get to cooking death is just slowly stirring in the pot until the timer dings off and you’re gone peace amongst our youth is needed s#$t run a fade and no guns or people jumping in

  2. See the truth of the matter is this kid been doing bunch of wild stuff and his boys know the real about what all went down that night and its sad it had to come to that but karma is real believe it or not if I pulled a gun on you in your home placed your family in danger as well as those who were there…same out come..sadness for all families involved..stop and think about how much life means to yourself because when you don’t appreciate it…it will end when you don’t expect it to…Death is real,the pain is real the truth is real..Peace be with you

    • People still wanna keep being ignorant to the facts of this whole tragic situation
      Keep it real with his family about what all went down and how it all got to the point of this…his boys need to come clean..stop acting like he was angel because if any of y’all really knew him
      Then you know he wasn’t ..it’s OK to mad,confused and in disbelief…but not blind to what the real is rather y’all like it or not …he was a suspect that ended up a victim and y’all need to except that for what it is the truth!

  3. This is crazy asf let my little cousin rest smh [removed] who ever has something negative to say and who ever did it will have their day straight up #teamkarma

  4. Well I want to say the family is in mourning with Lil Ricky untimely death I met him one time but knew his father whom tried very hard to steer his in the right direction and as a mother of two teens I can say it’s hard to get your children to listen they have so many more struggles with gangs,drugs,sex etc I’m so sorry again to the Family because no one should never have to bury their children I couldn’t imagine having to bury any of my kids I pray to God everyday they bury me no matter how it happen you guys please show respect to the family you guys have no idea what they’re going through RIP Lil Ricky the person who done this knows and probably thinks he’s gained some points or some glory but God has the last say he knows you did it and you will have to answer to him alone God help your soul

  5. Was this guy one of “those” Mitchell family members, who have been a thorn in the side of both law enforcement AND law abiding citizens in this Valley for many years?

  6. I didn’t know Ricky but have seen a lot of post of this on Facebook… to the coward who shot him, you are a POS. Why don’t you all use fist like a real man would/should. Teens these days have their differences, handle your business, but not like a POS coward. Use your fist like we did back in the day. No knives or guns or any of that. RIP Ricky. May god bless you and the coward who did this will be brought to justice.

    • If you don’t know what the [removed] you talking about shut the [removed] up the coward is the [removed] who died learn the truth before you speak pos……….. Know why the [removed] died first

      • Sounds like you or someone very close to you are the one who shot him since ur getting so offensive. Being that the av times has ur email address, they should probably hand it over to the sheriff’s department.

  8. First, sympathy to the family and son of the victim.
    A lot of you commenting that you were there and knows or saw what went down, have you talked to The detectives? Seems you want to run your mouths about it here!
    This makes me so mad, if it was such a big party why wasn’t it shut down quick by the sheriffs? That’s the problem, people are scared to call cops on large parties. Near my house there was an out of control, drunken large party, teens leaving my street drunk driving, fighting and yelling at 2 am..someone pulled a gun .I called cops they rolled by at 4 am, this wasn’t a priority a man running naked near the freeway WAS!
    For the person who suggested stopping people like they did years ago….wusses cried “racial profiling” and they had to quit stopping anyone who resembled a Banger! That is what keeps guns on the streets….
    All that were there need to focus on school because you need an education to get the hell out of the ghetto we call AV! Change your way of thinking, make money the legit way not slanging or Robbin, real work!

    • This is spot on, I am glad there are people who are still in touch with reality.
      Thank you!

    • it is racial profiling when the cops are stopping every black and latino youth or anyone who just may look like a gang member in their eyes. them not showing up when you called is just part of their let the wild take care of the wild mentality because who really gives a sh*t about a naked man running along the freeway.

      • Only people that have something to hide would care if they were stopped due to looking like a banger…Black, Latin or Asian. Most upstanding citizens over the age of 20 should no longer feel the need to dress or act like Gang Bangers, there you go boom, you don’t get stopped. Crybaby bit@@es that are scared and need to carry and rep their Sets need to be stopped all day everyday and maybe a gun will be taken off the street and a life will be saved… You did nothing wrong so why you care if you get stopped… A little inconvenient maybe but no harm, no foul..you should be glad someone is trying to clean up these nasty streets making it safer for your kids and mine!

  9. This is the exact reason parties flowing outdoors and out of control need to be stopped. They are frequent in my neighborhood with drunken behavior and driving in abundance. On weekends police are overrun with calls of every nature but putting a stop to these parties receives low priority. Violence, vandalism, and DUI are all end results. RIP to the victim……

    • It’s been like that in that area for many years, going back 30 years when I was an EMT we had all types of calls for young people drunk and passed out in streets, injured/bleeding from fights and the adults are happily contributing to it, especially in the summer time all times during the week as many had no job to go to the next day, but there was always plenty of money for food and rot gut booze and bad decisions.

    • the part about putting a stop to these parties is low priority is incorrect. the county pays extra money to have a team dedicated strictly to party calls during the time of year that parties are most prevalent…this actually leaves the dept short handed and deputies have to fill the spots left open by giving up at least one of their regular days off when these special teams are formed. it’s not as simple as blaming one group or another. I think the larger problem stems from parents raising kids who have no respect for themselves or others.

      • I agree completely! A friend of my brothers invited him to this party and my mom said no with the assistance of me complaining in her ear because she never let me go to parties at the age of 14. My mom told me about this and said “I’m so glad I did not let him go to this party.” This has to do with parents … But parents want to find other things to blame it on. Like where were the parents of the kid whose party it was? I had a small going away party with my friends And if people were drinking my mom took their keys. Logical thing. This generation is awful. And this generations parents just really do not care anymore. There are few that do and I’m so thankful that my parents are one of those few. RIP RICKY my condolences are with the family. No matter what the situation, right or wrong, or who caused what… No family should have to go through this.

    • 77th not every party gets out of control it only takes one bad
      Thing or person to ruin it for everyone i believe parents should
      Be responsible in screening who gets to participate in the party
      If it’s a child and if they are adults they should choose there friend more wisely
      But to stop all out door parties i ridiculous everything in this world has already
      Been stoped as it it if we can’t control our ownselves your asking the
      Goverment to step in and control it for us so we can never has a say for our
      Ownselves.

      • Not every party is hosted by parents or responsible adults.. Most don’t even know there is a party going on in their home, they maybe out of town or something but a majority of these house parties are kids throwing it and inviting everyone in the valley to attend! Alcohol and drugs are the norm at them. Parents or owners of the home should be held accountable for what happened also! If it’s a section 8 home they should lose their vouchers.. Why am I paying for their fun and destruction of property and life? Grow up and quit sticking up for your loser kids and accepting their gang affiliations as a badge of honor!

  10. Teens and alcohol are a bad combination, throw in a gun and you have a recipe for disaster. I also partially blame the homeowner er who hosted the party. If it discovered that they allowed or provided alcohol to minors or underage adults, they could be facing serious charges as well.

  11. Had to be ganh related go look at his profile nothing but hang related stuff on there. He did it to him self. Brake the cycle an make a better life for you An your kids. Don’t be just another black person as that’s how people look at you now. I feel sorry for his baby

  12. I watch first 48 and I know aint nothing gonna get solved by police until his friends or the partygoers start telling on each other or telling wat they know its sad but true but the law is lazy here or they wud not be riding around with guns on them so freely they wud worry about getting pulled over by the police with a weapon on them therefore not so easy to get shot at a function I do pray for peace

  13. I was there! the stories they are telling some are false and some partially right. The incident started when somebody was having a problem with the owners of the house. Then the guy was asked to leave. Shortly after an Hispanic kid had yelled f*** PJ Watts ( a south central local project gang). That’s when Ricky and the Hispanic kid started fighting. The Hispanic kid it’s winning and is on top of Ricky. Then one of Ricky’s friends hits the Hispanic kid. The moment that happened one of the Hispanic’s friends , a black teenmale, pulls out a silver gun and releases out the whole clip in the direction of Ricky and the fight. Ricky was hit 3 times and the rest of the bullets miss and doesn’t hit anybody else. All of Ricky’s friends run out of the house to leave Ricky shot and dieing. Ricky laid on the ground saying ” I can’t breath , I can’t breath” while teens surround him not knowing to what to do while they wait for paramedics to arrive.

    • And did you talk to the police or are you just feeling brave on here to act like you have a clue?

    • You need to tell the cops who the shooter is. You can do it anonymously. No one will find out.

  14. He is a friend not my boys…my boys are not gang bangers but this kid is. There was a fight. Someone yelled out their gang, this kid yelled out his gang. He was very intoxicated and went to reach in his pants to pull out his gun but couldn’t get it out so the other guy who was sober pulled his out and shot him 3 times in the chest.

      • Why is it false? Sound’s like he was there so he know what happened don’t sound like he got shot just because he was being a good boy there is always to sides to what happened that’s just how it is out here party’s are not to have fun it’s to see who you will run into for some payback [removed] crazy buts it’s true. Rip to the boy hope they get the one who did it no matter what the reason was no one should be killed like that.

    • Mmm you are not telln the truth because i seen the whole thing ‘ your kids is not a angel as i recall ‘ your son pulled out his gun first ‘ nd your kids is gang members who killed a kid

  15. While I send my condolences to the family for their lost but this very kid pulled a 45 on my son at a party the weekend before. Put it to his forehead! Life is too short to keep killing one another Black Hispanic or Latino. Everyone has an appointed time the Bible says that, but why allow children to rush their lives.

    • My son was at that party too last weekend when he starting shooting after the party. It’s all so very sad, RIP

  18. I read an FBI report just this week, and it claims that violence is down….apparently the FBI didn’t include the A.V. gang problem in their report.
    Face it people, there’s not much to do here in the A.V. unless you have a lot of money. Someone needs to realize that not all kids are in to sport.
    R.I.P. young man. People get ready because summer is almost here, and a lot of young people with free time.

  19. Take this for whatever but I heard one of Ricky’s boys named Shan got in to it with a mexican dude at the party during a dice game and punched him in the face then took off so the mexican shot Ricky cause he was with him. So who knows if it even had anything to do with gangs like everyones saying. But i know there was witnesses so thats bs if they’re not talking. Someone needs to speak up so this family can get some peace. Rip Ricky.

    • Please educate yourself if you’re going to make a statement about something. There is no reason why you should be describing a person as a Mexican unless you know him. Not every brown person is Mexican . YOU SAY HISPANIC. So tired of how ignorant people are when it comes to describing a person.
      AND IF YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION CALL THE POLICE OR DETECTIVE

      • Shut up, who cares if that person said “it was some Mexican guy”..who cares!!! Someone was shot stupid,some one being “incorrectly labeled” is the least of anyone’s worries. Shut up!

      • First off, this has already been told to the police, second off he IS MEXICAN weather u like it or not! I said it how it was said to me! Dont like the comment, dont read it idiot!

      • thank you for saying that Soledad because why aren’t you at the police headquarters giving statements..why post and boast online just idiots

  20. Why is there something wrong with the Editor or the Sheriff’s Department…..all it says it the victim was shot three times. Sounds like a factual statement. The article did not say only three shots were fired, or only one gun was fired.

    • I live near 55th east nd ave r and i honestly heard 2 shots that night. Then shortly afterward i heard fireworks. At first i thought it was gun fire but after hearing the fireworks i thought it was those stupid soda bombs the kids make. So i think the three shots could possibly be inaccurate.

      • you can’t lie about how many times someone was shot. They saw the body and they saw the bullet holes. Whether you thought you heard two or fifty it doesn’t matter.

  21. Some lame stuff I’m sure his homeboys was right there watching and the rest of the party was trying to get it on social network.

  23. Was this related to the blue car that crashed, about the same time, into the power box at 57th and Ave S, that left our neighborhood in the dark for about 15 hours?

  24. This all happened.on 50th Street East which is actually a well known gang area and getting worse everyday. My son was assaulted very close tothat location six years ago this month. Reading this brought back all kinds of memories that I work real hard at stuffing. My condolences to the family friends of this young man.

  25. Why refer to the decedent as a teen? While eighteen is technically a teenage, the use of the word teen is clearly aimed at evoking extreme emotion from an already traumatized community. Kids will be kids…it was a party after all Knock it off already!

    • thirTEEN thru nineTEEN have been known as TEEN’s for quite some time. Crawl back in your hole, A.

  26. Something is wrong with this story by the editor. Or the Sheriff’s Department. There was at least seven gunshots and it was two different guns from the sound of it who is a high-caliber a small caliber

  27. “It is unknown if the incident is gang related, detectives said in the news release.”
    Really? Gee, guess your best.

  28. A LARGE party and no one saw anything? In this day and age with technology I call BS, someone recorded it because someone wants to be the next big shot. Someone ALWAYS records fights whether it’s a school, a park or a LARGE party. Why not have your homeboys back like you swore you did before he was murdered? Oh because s**t just got real and you ain’t as brave as you said you were. You “homeboys” are just as big of a coward as the coward that murdered this son, father, cousin, friend HUMAN BEING. You are pathetic and scum beneath the feet of the family you swear you “got” the back of. All on fb talking about who gonna get and what your gonna do. You AIN’T GONNA DO NOTHING CUZ YOU AIN’T NOTHING. RIP young man, rest easy and may God bring your family peace and blessings and watch over your baby boy

    • Have you ever been to a black party? In the AV especially.Sadly alot of people have guns on them. You never know what enemy you might see

      • That is the most ignorant question/statement I’ve read yet…….have you been to a black party? Wtf is a “black party”? I hate to burst your little racially profiled bubble but it’s all races walking around doing the same dumb [removed]!!! It’s not only going on at “black partys” smdh

        • I see nothing wrong with what Asia said because it’s true! It’s not racist so take a seat it’s nothing but the truth. If an African American throws a party, trust me Hispanics arent WELCOME. That’s what a black party is. People love to think blacks can’t be racist LOL tell that to the students at EHS.

    • Because…. a lot of people carry guns, nowadays, for protection. Parties aren’t like they used to be! Many teens carry guns to school, as well.

      • Very true, many kids take guns, knives, and other weapons to our local schools. Security at all AV schools suck, they do not check students like they used to and they allow kids to do pretty much anything as long as the kids is cool with security. LAME!!!!

        • That is an unfair statement. Schools have up to 3000 students in one school and maybe 10 security. Would you like every kid searched daily before school? There’ rules they have to follow. Some agree with daily searches other may not. Security In High schools have their work cut out for them and I think they do the best they can while they are disrespected by some kids and some parents and negative comments like this. It is not an easy job and it takes a lot of patience to work with that many teens. They tolerate a lot and of course it is true kids are bringing in illegal items onto campuses, if staff is notified they will act on it. They do more than just security. They can be mentors/counselors and for some a safe zone for the bullied. they also have to deal with everything from Tardies , graffiti, fighting and sometimes… just being a good listener to build trust. I am just putting this out here because majority of school personal can be so UNDER APPRECTIATED. We need to show kids how to respect authority and not teach them to call security lame or they suck. You sound frustrated and I understand but times have changed and our schools may face challenges you don’t understand and I mean that in a respectful manner.

      • Yes, and it may be your kids doing this now or soon. Not all parties with blacks have guest with guns, get real.
        It’s obvious that we see more black faces amongst us, but what the heck do we expect, the rents here a lower than L.A.
        I was in Rosamond recently, and there are a lot of black people, and that’s a difference from a few years ago.
        By the way people take guns to parties, games, movies, etc.