Crime & Safety
Police: Arrests Made in Fatal Redondo Beach Shooting
Lomita residents Eduardo Antonio Losa and Shelby Ann Johnston were arrested Saturday afternoon on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of accessory to commit murder.
UPDATE: Police release two suspects held in Redondo Beach fatal shooting.
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Editor's note: This article was originally published June 24, 2013.
This article was reported and written by editors Nicole Mooradian and John Schreiber.
Two people were arrested in connection with Friday night's fatal shooting in North Redondo Beach, and a third suspect remains at large, Redondo Beach police Capt. Jeff Hink said Monday.
Lomita residents Eduardo Antonio Losa, 42, and Shelby Ann Johnston, 29, were arrested Saturday afternoon on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of accessory to commit murder, respectively.
Erick Julian Ortega, 27, formerly a person of interest, has now been identified as a murder suspect. He is considered armed and dangerous, police said.
Gardena resident Bobby Darren Reynolds, 38, died after being shot multiple times at about 8 p.m. Friday, according to police. He was visiting relatives at a home near the intersection of Lilienthal and Ralston lanes.
A Chrysler 300 sedan that may have been used as a getaway vehicle for the shooter was registered to Ortega, according to Hink. It was discovered abandoned on Spreckles Lane near Inglewood Avenue.
A tow truck driver Friday night told Patch that he was dispatched to the area to pick up the Chrysler 300. When he arrived at the vehicle, it was already surrounded by police tape, he said.
According to the tow truck driver, he had instructions to pick up the vehicle and tow it to the 25900 block of Oak Street in Lomita where a woman named Shelby Johnston was supposed to meet the tow truck and the Chrysler. The tow truck driver showed his dispatch screen to Patch, which confirmed the details.
Officers later served a search warrant at the Oak Street address, which police said was Ortega's residence.
Hink would not comment on Johnston's alleged involvement in the murder, nor would he comment further on why Ortega's vehicle was abandoned only a few blocks from the crime scene. Hink also would not comment on why a tow truck was dispatched to pick up Ortega's vehicle.
A search warrant was also served at the residence of Losa and Johnston, who are in a domestic relationship, in the 1800 block of 260th Street in Lomita.
Both Ortega and Losa are documented members of the NSR-13 gang, which is also known as RB-13 or North Side Redondo, Hink said. Losa and Johnston are in a domestic relationship.
"Investigators now believe that Ortega communicates with other gang members who are in the state prison system," Hink said. "Ortega is also involved in narcotics trafficking and the distribution of the proceeds from those sales to state prison inmates."
Ortega has prior arrests on robbery and narcotics offenses, while Losa has a "lengthy criminal past that includes assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and parole violations," Hink said.
Ortega is described as a 5-foot-6-inch Hispanic man weighing about 160 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and numerous tattoos, including one that appears to cover his entire head.
Other tattoos include a marijuana leaf on his right arm; a naked woman on his left shoulder; a cross, "Padre Pardon me," "Redondo Beach" and "father forgive me" on his chest; "bitch, please" on his neck; "Redondo how do you want it" on his abdomen; and a clown on his left shoulder.
"We don't want anyone contacting (Ortega) without calling us," Hink said. He advised residents to call 911 if they see the suspect or know where Ortega is.
Police still believe Reynolds was "specifically targeted"; however, they have not yet determined why, Hink said. The captain added that he was unaware if Reynolds had any gang connections.
"It wouldn't matter to me," he said. "(Reynold's) crime history is really inconsequential."
The NSR-13 gang was a "significant problem in the 1990s," according to Hink. Since then, gang activity has largely quieted in Redondo Beach.
Anyone with information on Ortega's whereabouts or on the shooting is urged to call the Redondo Beach Police Department at 310-379-2477 or 310-937-6685, text the department at 310-339-2362, or email crimetips@redondo.org.
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