Los Angeles Man Arrested and Denied Bail in Connection with Fatal Shootings of 3 Sleeping Homeless Men
A Los Angeles man has been charged with murder for the fatal shootings of 3 sleeping homeless men and another person at his San Dimas home Authorities are currently investigating the motive behind this tragic incident
A Los Angeles man accused of shooting three homeless men as they slept is also being charged with the murder of another person at his home in San Dimas, announced Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón on Monday.
Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, is facing four counts of murder, one count of residential robbery, and one count of being a felon with a firearm. Additionally, he is also being charged with special circumstances such as multiple murders and murder in the course of a robbery, according to the criminal complaint.
Powell was taken into custody last week in relation to the deadly shooting of the man in nearby San Dimas during a robbery. Law enforcement officials, utilizing surveillance technology, subsequently connected him to the homicides of the three men in Los Angeles that same week, according to the city's Police Chief, Michel Moore.
Jerrid Joseph Powell
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department/handout/AP
The police announced on Friday that they had found a gun believed to have been used in the robbery. Powell, dressed in a yellow jail jumpsuit, made a court appearance on Monday, but his arraignment was rescheduled for January 8 and he was denied bail.
Authorities are searching for a motive
The Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office stated to CNN that, just like with every client, they are dedicated to providing a strong defense for Mr. Powell and ensuring that the prosecution meets their burden of proof.
A series of targeted killings in Los Angeles has unnerved the city, with police reporting that the suspect approached and shot vulnerable residents as they slept on the streets. The victims, who included two Hispanic men and one Black man, were killed in three separate incidents over the course of a few days. In response, the city has deployed hundreds of workers and partners to warn homeless residents about the ongoing threat. Los Angeles is home to one of the largest homeless populations in the nation, making the situation especially concerning.
Investigators have yet to identify a motive.
The LAPD released images of the suspect, describing him only as make, and a dark-colored seadan the suspect was seen in.
LAPD
The suspect was arrested for the shootings of three homeless men and was already in custody for another crime, according to authorities. Powell was taken into custody on November 30 after the Beverly Hills Police Department pulled over a vehicle and discovered that he was driving a car linked to the killing of Nicholas Simbolon in San Dimas. The Los Angeles police chief had initially stated that Powell was arrested late Wednesday.
Powell has been accused of stalking Simbolon to his residence, then robbing and fatally shooting the father of two in his garage, as reported by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. Authorities have determined that Powell did not have any prior relationship with Simbolon.
The car used in the murder of Simbolon is believed to be the same vehicle used in the killings of three men in Los Angeles. Additionally, police have linked a firearm discovered inside the car to the three shootings using ballistic evidence.
Authorities credited the arrest of Powell to the use of automatic vehicle license plate scanners in Beverly Hills. This form of advanced policing technology, which civil liberties advocates such as the ACLU have raised privacy concerns about, played a crucial role in the apprehension. Despite the criticism of the technology, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna emphasized its effectiveness in preventing further crimes, stating, "if we did not enter that plate into the system, this individual that we believe is responsible for at least four murders may have been out there and reoffended," during a news conference on Saturday.
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A homeless man closes his tent outside of the Midnight Mission's non-profit headquarters as nearly 2000 homeless individuals in the Skid Row neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles are served traditional Thanksgiving meals on November 25, 2021. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP) (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)
California has allocated billions to combat homelessness, yet the issue has continued to escalate. In response to the ongoing search for a suspect, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's office has mobilized over 400 individuals from various city departments, housing service providers, and regional agencies in an effort to alert unhoused individuals about the potential threat.
The mayor urged residents not to sleep alone on the citys streets: "Seek shelter, seek services, stay together, seek support."
"This is a killer who is preying on the unhoused," Bass warned.
Homeless individuals in the city are already facing perilous conditions on a daily basis, with four to five of them succumbing to various causes, including violence, each day. California has allocated $17.5 billion from 2018 to 2022 towards addressing homelessness, which involved relocating over 1,300 unsheltered Los Angeles residents from the streets to motels. However, despite these efforts, the homeless population in the state has continued to grow over the same four-year period.
Jason Elliott, senior adviser on homelessness to Gov. Gavin Newsom, acknowledges that "the problem would be much worse without these interventions. I understand that people don't want to hear that, but we understand." This story is ongoing and will be updated.
CNNs Sarah Moon and Camila Bernal reported from court in Los Angeles. CNNs Steve Almasy, Taylor Romine, Josh Campbell, Raja Razek and Nick Watt contributed to this report.
