LA Live, a typically safe and family-friendly venue, experienced tragedy Tuesday night when a subject was mysteriously gunned-down at Fixins Soul Kitchen.
According to police, the suspect entered the restaurant and shot the man, who then fell to the ground. The suspect was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A second female victim also sustained a graze wound.
Earlier, Police Captain Raul Jovel gave an update on the investigation.
“Yeah. So at this point, the investigators are confident this was a lone, actually very deliberate act. They don’t feel that there’s a threat to the community just with this individual going to other locations at this point.”
Captain Jovel revealed that the public has no reason to feel unsafe at Fixins, as they believe this was an isolated incident.
“They’re actively working the leads to try to locate this individual. I don’t know. You know, we’ll let RHD put out some of those details as they come forward. But we don’t believe that this individual is, you know, a threat to the public at this point other than obviously he committed a murder here, but that he’s going to go to another venue. We don’t have those details that he’s going around to other venues and looking for victims or targets.”
Jovel also spoke of his personal history at LA Live, and the shock he experienced when hearing about the incident.
“When I heard about this, I was just as shocked as anybody else was. I was like, in L.A. live. This is a very safe place. It’s a family friendly place. There’s an ice rink that’s open until midnight here every day.”
Jovel promised the community an increased focus on safety at LA Live, in the coming weeks.
“I’ve been here with my family myself. So it is shocking. But our crime is moving forward. Is is increased patrols, more visibility, working with the local security here? We want to make sure that doesn’t repeat. And this is the first violent homicide in this property since it opened up in 2007. So we’ll ensure that we work with our local partners, ensure that people feel safe.”
Onlooker Tyler Cummins was walking by when he saw the aftermath at the scene.
“Yeah, We were walking by. My father’s visiting, and we’re going to eat dinner, and it looked like they were filming a movie or something like commotion. And I didn’t realize what was going on until today.”
Cummins expressed his optimism for the safety of Fixins in the future as well.
" I feel like that could have happened at any restaurant. I think the person that particular person wanted to kill the other person and just happened to be the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess, you know.”
Fixins Soul Kitchen, a popular dining destination at LA Live, is owned by former NBA point guard and Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson.
Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, called Fixins, “one of the premier dining restaurants in Los Angeles with city residents and tourists from all over the world enjoying the food.” He said that he will continue to dine at Fixins and not allow business to drop.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Diego Ynzunza