Homicide Report > Patrick Louis-Davion Caruthers, 19
Patrick Louis-Davion Caruthers, 19
Died Sept. 25, 2012
Patrick Louis-Davion Caruthers, a 19-year-old black man, was shot and killed Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the 1500 block of West 62nd Street in Harvard Park, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The victim was a student and volunteer who was sitting on a park bench when a man walked up and shot him.
Caruthers attended L.A. Trade Technical College and volunteered at the park's Jackie Tatum/Harvard Recreation Center. He was shot multiple times about 3:15 p.m. and died at the scene.
“We believe it was gang-related based on the suspect’s action,” said LAPD Det. Chris Barling. The shooter “thought he was targeting a gang member. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, somebody doesn’t walk up and shoot somebody on a park bench. That is something a gang member would do.”
The shooting occurred when many children and others would have been at the park, which has a gymnasium/auditorium, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a football field, picnic tables, a soccer field and tennis courts.
Caruthers, a resident of the neighborhood, helped out as a volunteer in the Summer Night Lights program, an anti-gang effort to provide activities for youths during the evening.
KCAL-TV (Channel 9) interviewed his mother, identified as Gail Sears. "Patrick didn’t have any enemies. He didn’t bother anybody," Sears said. "His love was music and going to church. He loved church.”
She described her son as having had to overcome a learning disability and a speech impediment and as having recently graduated from nearby Manual Arts High School.
"He was not involved in any crime of any nature," she said. "He was just a child trying to live his life."
The assailant fled on foot to a waiting dark compact car, which drove west on 62nd and then turned south on Denker Avenue.
Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD at (800) 222-TIPS or homicide detectives at (213) 485-1383.
— Howard Blume
- Neighborhood: Harvard Park
- Age: 19
- Gender: Male
- Cause: Gunshot
- Day of the week: Tuesday
- Agency: LAPD Criminal Gang Homicide
- Race/Ethnicity: Black
- Circumstance: Walk-up
- Crime scene: Public place
16 reader comments about Patrick Louis-Davion Caruthers
This case is even worse. A guy with learning disabilities. Round all these gangsters up and toss them in Afghanistan. Let's see how tough they really are!
Oct. 10, 2012 at 12:41 p.m.
This is terrible. Why do people think a gun is going to fix everything. It just breaks up people's lives and breaks hearts.
Oct. 11, 2012 at 5:12 p.m.
Send these idiots over to a REAL WAR and get some discipline other than sleeping all day and waking up to smoke dope and walk around with an unlicensed hand gun to go shoot someone because they are pissed off at the world for being born. Little do they know how lucky they are to be born with basic fundamentals needs (arms, legs, eyes, the ability to make decisions, food and shelter).
Oct. 12, 2012 at 10:38 a.m.
Joe/Meck
Plenty of soldiers are gang members. I don't know why you would think there are none. I know a few, and watched a special on that very fact. Also the gangs in California are in very real wars. With more casualties than our middle east war.
Oct. 20, 2012 at 4:19 p.m.
@Stash, I would commend any person that chose the military, true soldiers over homie soldiers.
We don't see their names here, they come through Andrews Air Force Base with the honor they deserve.
Oct. 22, 2012 at 12:45 p.m.
@Stash
What is your comment supposed to mean? That the wars overseas are comparable to the gang wars in California? And what exactly are the gangsters fighting for? Political freedom? Voting rights? Civil rights? This war you takin' bout bro' ain't no war, dat just the thug life. Gangs take away freedom, they take away rights, too busy pissing away the freedoms they do have. Not only that but how dare you compare the two. Like I'm supposed to see a story about a dead gangster and say, "Oh how sad, look how he fought for his hood." As if that is the same as a military person dying in a war. As if! Who cares if there are gangsters in the military? The gang war in California is all self inflicted. Kill yourselves, leave the rest of us out of it. You ain't fightin' fo' nothin'. Dat just the thug life fo' shizzle.
Oct. 26, 2012 at 12:20 p.m.
@Stash
So a war thats about who gets to sell weed and crack on the corner is the same as soldiers dying overseas? What planet you living on?
Anybody that knows about gangs knows that without drugs to sell, they would be no gangs. They'd all have to go home and do something else. This boy was learning impaired, most likely he was shot for the color of his skin as theres a race war going on in LA that we hear bits and pieces about. The media dont want it getting too known.
Oct. 27, 2012 at 4:53 a.m.
Stevie wonder can see there's a race war in l.A. So don't try to blame the media.
Oct. 27, 2012 at 10:34 p.m.
For some people, they claim that a gangster is a "soldier" is their attempt to justify the indefensible.
And its an epic fail to try to equate the two.
But then, what do you expect from these gang enablers when for them, violence and barbarity is the normal?
Oct. 28, 2012 at 10:44 a.m.
Ok so it turns out that had something to do with this was the Street villains there is some conflict going on with the brims,bums (taggers) and Florencia 13 gangs against the 43rd street villians rollin 40 crips and feens (taggers) since they all live in the same areas they have taken sides due to family members being from 2 of the different gangs in the area being shot.I won't say names but it's out there drive around these neihborhoods and look at the graffitti and the recent arrests along with shootings they are at each others necks.
Nov. 22, 2012 at 2:49 a.m.
The guns & drugs didnt just fall out the sky...the white man put all those things in our communities so we can kill each other off & guess what? Thats exactly what we are doing while he sit back and laugh at us our people better wake up and get there lives together...my condolences 2 this young mans family...such a sad story...smh
Nov. 22, 2012 at 6:32 a.m.
-mr51TGC
"The guns & drugs didnt just fall out the sky...the white man put all those things in our communities so we can kill each other off & guess what? Thats exactly what we are doing while he sit back and laugh at us our people"
Tell me this, why do you all do it then, shoot and kill each other, why?
To keep the white man happy?
I'm white and very saddened how innocents get killed and how it affects L.A. in general.
Everyone has a choice to be good or bad, it's a simple choice.
These gangbangers choose to be bad, no one forces it upon them, why dont they choose to be good, and in doing so stick it to 'the white man'.
That seems like a good idea to me. I'd sure be happy with that.
Peace & love is better than Guns and violence, go on argue it isn't.
But I guess most bangers will do as they've always done.
Grow up you idiot and grow a pair!
Nov. 26, 2012 at 9:03 a.m.
Y'all got this twisted in the street your at war with someone else because if you do t kill them they'll damn sure kill you I ain't saying being a gang member is right but if you lived there and you were trying to look after young ones at an early age and you saw these gang members with money and girls and rep its hard at a young age to ignore that ye some people do but not many and when you join you can't leave it also helps because in some these neighbourhoods you can't walk to the store without being shot at its hella wild now i suggest y'all get yo ass off the Internet and go complain to the gang members themselves i ain't see y'all out there stopping the violence so shut the hell up take that silver spoon outa yo ass and go see what's its like and if you ain't gunna do that then get outa here complaining the murder rates on the streets are higher than in some dumbass war over oil at least they killing people who be shooting back not bombing innocent kids daily
Dec. 22, 2012 at 7:47 a.m.
Y'all got this twisted in the street your at war with someone else because if you do t kill them they'll damn sure kill you I ain't saying being a gang member is right but if you lived there and you were trying to look after young ones at an early age and you saw these gang members with money and girls and rep its hard at a young age to ignore that ye some people do but not many and when you join you can't leave it also helps because in some these neighbourhoods you can't walk to the store without being shot at its hella wild now i suggest y'all get yo ass off the Internet and go complain to the gang members themselves I ain't see y'all out there stopping the violence so shut the hell up take that silver spoon outa yo ass and go see what's its like and if you ain't gunna do that then get outa here complaining the murder rates on the streets are higher than in some dumbass war over oil at least they killing people who be shooting back not bombing innocent kids daily
Dec. 22, 2012 at 7:48 a.m.
rip lil patrick, i personally knew him and he really wasn't a gang member, gang members knew him because he was always at the park, he was truelly innocent, he sat at the park alone on that day, there were no gang members at the park at that time, he sat there with his back turnt listening to music with earphones in and never seen or heard anything, anyone with eyes can look at him and see that he has an mental problem, and anyone non-gang affliated can see he don't gangbang
Dec. 26, 2012 at 12:35 p.m.
Did they ever get a street villian for this? they hang on 43 and menlo and 43rd and hoover..
Dec. 26, 2012 at 9:29 p.m.
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