Shooter's rampage leaves police, residents shaken

The loss to the LAPD family is beyond words. Both officers were great men and leaders.
God Bless thier families.
Sergeant Andrew Garcia
West Los Angeles Division
Los Angeles Police Department

I have lived in the valley my whole life and it always surprises me when something like this happens. It is so sensless it breaks my heart!

My heart goes out to the LAPD SWAT Team and their families.

Also to the family of the victims.

I live just two block away from this tragedy.

As police and most people know, domestic calls are the most dangerous and volatile and such incidents can and does happen in all types of neighborhoods and communities.

What irritates me is that some relatives of the victims family claim urgently that the shooter was not a member of a gang..

YET -

1. Police indicate a rap sheet on the shooter
2. AND some connections to gangs
3. The shooter had weapons and obviously had some tactics planned for this terrible situation
4. Neighbors reported a large amount of traffic to / from this house prior to the incident

Most of the homes in the wSFV are quiet and family oriented.. lots of traffic to/from any home is a concern.. and usually (if not ALWAYS) indicative of gang/drug activity.

Thus, comments from the shooters relatives claiming no gang affiliation is somewhat ridiculous.

Finally, what bothers me beyond this, is the fact that neighbors were aware of the unusual amount of traffic from this home..

Why didn't they report it to the police.. and if they did, what can police do to intervene and keep these types of activities out of our quiet family oriented communities?

This last question is not rhetorical.. if any member of the West Valley Police Station can provide insite, it would be appreciated..

In most cases, when I need to address concerns about security and crime against me, the West Valley officers have always been on top of the situation..

EricInWinnetka,

Regarding the traffic to the house, I heard the neighbors speak on the news last night. They said they constantly told police about this house and the police told them all they could do would be to take down license plates of the cars.

I live nearby and had some shady renters (white supremisists car theif/drug addicts). We neighbors got together and notified the police. The West Valley police were great, showing up constantly.

Thanks so much..

I appreciate your feedback.. It also confirms my suspicions.. that it isn't homeowners per se, it is those that rent to unsavory members of society..

Not that the victim's family was unsavory but a confluence of issues..

1. An emotionally unstable young individual,
2. Unsupervised (and untreated) because the working father had to work to provide for the family, and
3. This individual getting mixed up with a very wrong crowd

A terrible loss to LAPD and that family, but thank God, the LAPD was there to keep all others in the community safe.. God Bless the LAPD.

OpiniatedChick wrote:

EricInWinnetka,
Regarding the traffic to the house, I heard the neighbors speak on the news last night. They said they constantly told police about this house and the police told them all they could do would be to take down license plates of the cars.
I live nearby and had some shady renters (white supremisists car theif/drug addicts). We neighbors got together and notified the police. The West Valley police were great, showing up constantly.

In my book if you kill a cop you are the devil. The rest is just plain sad.

Yet another lowlife dirtbag Latino scumbag kills an American citizen on the streets of Los Angeles. When are we going to round up the scum and ship them back to their godforsaken piece o' crap countries?

My Love and Prayers are offered to the Families of Officer Simmons and Officer Veenstra. The lose of Officer Simmons, too great to imagine, the pain both physical and emotional for Officer Veenstra, I'll never know. The Brotherhood of Law Enforcement is one only very special individuals posses. My respect and admiration, as well as my heart and prayers goes out to all affected by this tragic event. God Bless the Los Angeles Police Department, and those who protect us.

"In most cases, when I need to address concerns about security and crime against me, the West Valley officers have always been on top of the situation.."

The only sure way to keep yourself secure is to arm yourself. Dialing 911 (if able) and waiting for the police to arrive could result in the death of you or your loved ones.

I've been wondering when somebody would be brave enough to express some disgust at the surviving family members claim that they were "surprised" by the actions of this messed-up 20 year-old, who by all accounts was a wannabe gangster, who acted like, looked like, and behaved like a gang banger, and whose home had been the scene of two, yes, two drive-by shootings, who was currently on probation for a weapons offense, who dropped out of school, and wasn't working. Why would anyone like that he the cause of the murder of a police officer? Not to mention the slaying of his two brothers and his father, all of whom should have seen this coming. These messed up people destroy neighborhoods because they cannot face the facts that are staring them in the face. That the surviving family members hollow comments of "surprise" are allowed to go unchallenged by the community is a travesty.

In case anyone was wondering if the family was here legally, they weren't...

There is an article at elsalvador.com where they interviewed relatives who say the children were born in El Salvador, and the family came here to "flee violence" - how's that working out?

Here's the link:
http://translate.google.com/translate...

It is translated from Spanish - poorly - by bots, but their legal status is mentioned a couple of times.

It would have taken the Daily News, LA Times, etc about 20 minutes to confirm the legal status, but that's completely irelevant to them.

FACTS - Had this family either been stopped at the border or deported, taxpayer dollars would have not been wasted educating these dropouts. The mother who died of cancer would have still died - in El Salvador - at that country's expense. The job taken by the father, possibly obtained using stolen identity, would be held by an American citizen (but more likely another illegal alien). Oh yeah, a heroic SWAT officer would also be breathing today.

There is nothing racist about what I have stated, and I would be just as saddened for this country had the family been Canadian living here illegally.

This has NOTHING to do with race whatsoever.

Wrong is wrong, and when you begin your new life in a country by committing a crime the second you enter, only bad things can follow.

To anyone who dismisses this E-mail as somehow hate-filled, I feel sorry for you. Nine out of ten times, the first person to scream "racist" is in fact one themselves.

Brian wrote:

In case anyone was wondering if the family was here legally, they weren't...
There is an article at elsalvador.com where they interviewed relatives who say the children were born in El Salvador, and the family came here to "flee violence" - how's that working out?
Here's the link:
http://translate.google.com/translate...
It is translated from Spanish - poorly - by bots, but their legal status is mentioned a couple of times.
It would have taken the Daily News, LA Times, etc about 20 minutes to confirm the legal status, but that's completely irelevant to them.
FACTS - Had this family either been stopped at the border or deported, taxpayer dollars would have not been wasted educating these dropouts. The mother who died of cancer would have still died - in El Salvador - at that country's expense. The job taken by the father, possibly obtained using stolen identity, would be held by an American citizen (but more likely another illegal alien). Oh yeah, a heroic SWAT officer would also be breathing today.
There is nothing racist about what I have stated, and I would be just as saddened for this country had the family been Canadian living here illegally.
This has NOTHING to do with race whatsoever.
Wrong is wrong, and when you begin your new life in a country by committing a crime the second you enter, only bad things can follow.
To anyone who dismisses this E-mail as somehow hate-filled, I feel sorry for you. Nine out of ten times, the first person to scream "racist" is in fact one themselves.

Not racist, but the fact that it's all you commented on when a cop was killled shows that race is constantly on your mind and you'll connect it to any story you can where it might be related.

You're looking for that angle without realizing it. It's become an autonomic response. People in the San Fernando Valley seem to have perfected this. Good luck with your raids. I hope you get every last illegal so you can enjoy your life.

Sorry, you did mention the SWAT officer. But I still stand by what I say. Your not racist, but you do seem to be thinking about race a lot.

sad, sad, sad!

(endi)
rest in peace my love it hurts alot it is the biggest pain ever i pray for you and i hope you are in a better place know i love you forever you will always be in my heart thinking about you everyday. i love you.
norma

S Nash wrote:

Yet another lowlife dirtbag Latino scumbag kills an American citizen on the streets of Los Angeles. When are we going to round up the scum and ship them back to their godforsaken piece o' crap countries?

Why the hate? I am a Caucasian American born here in the USA and YOU speaking the way you do breeds more hate and brings a bad name to the race of Americans that aren't "Latino" I know of scum bags that are "Latino", White, black, Asian, etc. Why so much bitternesses? This beautiful country of ours was, and is still, built by immigrants. Unfortunately some undocumented, but many of these contribute to our economy by purchasing goods. I know they send money to their families wherever that is. They want to take care of their families so they come here for the opportunity. My family is from Europe....It seems to me that it's OK to be European but when it comes to being "Latino" there is a hate of some form. It seems that it's hipper to be Euro or black, but Latino.....not even close. I'm Caucasian and it's embarrassing to hear this kind of talk. I'm a conservitive all for border control but remember....they are Americans as well(South American, Central American, Northern American) Speak in specifics such as US Americans. Just thought I'd mention it.