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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Two alleged gang members were in custody Wednesday in connection with four fatal Southland shootings that occurred within hours and a few miles of each other in what investigators believe were completely random attacks, but a possible third suspect remains at large.
"It appears this was a random murder spree, however, homicide investigators have not ruled anything out," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau Capt. Andrew Meyer told reporters during an afternoon news conference Tuesday.
The suspects -- 42-year-old Gary Garcia and 20-year-old Timberland Wayne McKneely -- were both arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder, according to the sheriff's department. According to jail records, Garcia was being held in lieu of $8 million bail, while McKneely was being held on $2 million bail.
According to the sheriff's department, the first shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. Sunday in the 6000 block of Bear Avenue in Bell. That shooting killed 24-year-old Kevin Parada.
Shortly after midnight Monday morning, another fatal shooting occurred in the 1500 block of East Florence Avenue in the nearby unincorporated Florence-Firestone area. That victim, described only as a Hispanic man, was not immediately identified.
A short time later, two boys -- both Hispanic -- were shot in the 5000 block of Live Oak Street near Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy. One of them, 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr. of Cudahy, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second boy was taken to a hospital in what was described as stable condition.
The fourth shooting occurred about 2:40 a.m. in the 6300 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Huntington Park, near Gage Avenue, officials said. That man, also Hispanic, was not immediately identified, but Huntington Park Police Department Chief Cosme Lozano said he was known to be a local homeless man who was "simply walking down the street."
According to Meyer, sheriff's homicide investigators responded to all four shooting scenes, and surveillance video quickly determined that a Honda Pilot SUV was at each location around the time of the attacks.
Sheriff's officials circulated a law enforcement bulletin, and on Monday afternoon, the vehicle was spotted and stopped by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, and one suspect -- believed to be Garcia -- was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, Meyer said.
Investigators were then able to identify the second suspect, who was arrested by a sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau team late Monday night or early Tuesday morning in Compton, according to Meyer.
Meyer said no weapon has been recovered. He said investigators believe the suspects are gang members, but there was no immediate word on a motive for the killings. He said the attacks just appeared to target "random people."
Meyer said a third suspect may have also been involved in the attacks, but there was no immediate information available on that person's description.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the area, said the shootings "really put everybody on edge," noting that two of them occurred near schools. The first shooting in Bell occurred in the vicinity of Martha Escutia Primary Center, an elementary school.
She hailed sheriff's department and police investigators for their "round-the-clock" effort to solve the killings, and the collaboration that occurred between agencies.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho responded to the shootings Monday on social media, writing: "Overnight murderous gun violence victimizes the youth of our community. As we learn more about the shootings that claimed the life of one teenager and injured another, we stand ready to support the impacted school communities."