Harbor City serial shootings
Harbor City serial shooter | |
|---|---|
 Composite sketches of the shooter | |
| Wanted since | January 31, 1993 |
| Details | |
| Victims |
|
Span of crimes | January 31 – May 22, 1993 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
| Weapon | Firearm |
Date apprehended | Never apprehended |
The Harbor City serial shootings were an unsolved series of drive-by shootings committed in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California during the early months of 1993. A total of four black men were shot within a two-block radius, three of them fatally. Despite a detailed description of the perpetrator and his car given by the surviving victim and witnesses to the murders, he remains unidentified to date.[1]
Shootings
[edit]The first shooting occurred on January 31, 1993, when Howard L. Campbell, a 32-year-old black man, was fatally shot at 1087 W. 252nd Street. The shooting happened at about 9:00 p.m.[2]
The next victim was Michael Kevin Meador, a 35-year-old black man, who was shot to death during the night of February 14, 1993. Meador was murdered while standing in front of the same address as Campbell.[3]
On April 15, 1993, 26-year-old Joseph Alexander Maxwell was shot and killed as he approached the perpetrator's vehicle at 1039 W. 254 Street, two blocks away from where the first and second murders occurred.[4]
On May 22, 1993, an unnamed 38-year-old was shot three times at the 1100 block of West 253rd Street, a block away from where the first and second murders occurred.[1] The man was injured but managed to survive.[5]
Investigation
[edit]The surviving victim was able to give a description of a perpetrator and his vehicle: a red-haired white man between 25 and 35-years-old who drove a jeep. This description matched ones given by witnesses to the prior attacks. Other descriptions described the jeep in further detail, stating that the car was red and had a white top.[6] Additionally, three of the four attacks occurred between 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. With this information, the police connected all of the murders to a single unknown suspect and created a composite sketch. Despite this, the murders remain unsolved, as does the motive. Although all of the victims were black, the police were unsure if the shootings were racially-motivated.[1] Robbery is the only motive that was ruled out by investigators.[4]
See also
[edit]- Crime in Los Angeles
- Cold case
- Gun violence in the United States
- List of serial killers in the United States
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Newton, Michael (2004). The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes. Infobase Publishing. p. 179. ISBN 9781438119144.
- ^ "HARBOR CITY: Residents Say Suspect May Be a Serial Killer". Los Angeles Sentinel. 1993-06-10. ProQuest 369347354. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
- ^ Archibold, Randal C.; Nazario, Sonia (1993-05-30). "Killer Strikes Fear in Tough Area of L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
- ^ a b "Jeep driver sought in slayings". Associated Press. 1993-05-30. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
- ^ Himmel, Nieson (1993-05-29). "Police Seeking Gunman in Four Drive-by Shootings". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
- ^ "Police release composite of killer". UPI. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- 1993 in Los Angeles
- 1993 murders in the United States
- April 1993 crimes in the United States
- Deaths by firearm in California
- Drive-by shootings
- February 1993 crimes in the United States
- January 1993 crimes in the United States
- May 1993 crimes in the United States
- Serial killers from California
- Serial murders in the United States
- Unidentified American serial killers