Police Chief to Address Public Safety Concerns
In response to community concern about four recent shootings, police will discuss police efforts to curtail gang violence.
Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. will make a presentation Thursday at a meeting of the community advisory panel for the Neighborhood Enhancement Project Team, a group working to improve life in the Pico Boulevard neighborhood, said police spokesman Lt. Gary Gallinot.
There have been four shootings in Santa Monica since Oct. 12, resulting in the deaths of Omar Sevilla of Culver City; Horst Fietze of Loebau, Germany; and Juan Campos of Santa Monica. Santa Monica resident Javier Cruz was wounded in a drive-by shooting Sunday.
Police believe that the acts against Campos and Cruz were in retaliation for the shooting death of Sevilla, allegedly a gang member.
Committee members also will discuss the results of a survey about the quality of life in the neighborhood.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Thelma Terry Center at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
