In the wake of 14 killings that occurred across Los Angeles County this weekend -- most within the city of Los Angeles -- authorities attempted to reassure the public Monday that the spike in violence was rare and no cause for alarm.
Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger said that while homicides were up 8% so far this year, overall violent crime -- as well as shootings -- was down.
He called the recent spike in violence that left 10 dead in the city "troubling but an anomaly."
"It was a very challenging weekend," Paysinger told reporters at Parker Center. "But there is no reason to panic. This is a spike we periodically see in this city."
Killings were also reported in Inglewood, Long Beach and two cities patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: Baldwin Park and Walnut Park. Also, an hour after the 2:30 p.m. news conference Monday, two people were shot and wounded near the junction of the Metro Blue and Green lines in Willowbrook, according to the Sheriff's Department.
Most of the victims died from gunfire, including Michael Smith, 20, who was killed in a drive-by shooting Saturday near 95th Street and Vermont Avenue after escorting a woman to a bus stop.
Similarly, Johnny Ray Lopez was approached Sunday afternoon in Panorama City by a man on a bicycle who asked Lopez where he was from and then fired a handgun multiple times into his midsection. Family members say Lopez had no gang ties.
Others died in domestic disputes. In one incident, a 20-year-old North Hollywood man was hit over the head with a bottle and stabbed with a knife Saturday night. Police said the suspect was angry that the victim was dating his mother.
Another man was shot in the mouth and chest in downtown Los Angeles. That assailant was allegedly angry the victim was flirting with his girlfriend.
LAPD officials say the homicide rate this year has fluctuated. In March, it was 27% higher than the previous year. So far this year, the homicide rate is 8% higher than the same period last year, with 175 killings compared with 162 last year, according to the LAPD.
Paysinger said the last time killings reached the double digits over a weekend was in January, amid gang clashes in Watts and northeast Los Angeles. Beyond those incidents, there are no clear patterns emerging from this year's figures, authorities say.
