Avery Dean, L.A. Homicide No. 42: 22-Year-Old Man Shot Dead While Sitting in Car
By Ryan Deto
Los Angeles Times Avery "Ton Ton" Dean
A group of friends, including 22-year-old Avery Dean, piled into a car on the 11400 block of South Vermont Avenue in the early morning of February 20. Dean, known affectionately by his friends as "Ton Ton," was in the driver's seat.
At 1:18 a.m. bullets flew into the car, according to LAPD officials. Coroner's reports show that Dean was shot in the head. His friends moved him to the back seat and started to drive around looking for a hospital.
But, either because of panic or reasons unknown, the friends never made it to a hospital. The Los Angeles Times elaborates on the issue:
Several hospitals with emergency rooms are located within three miles of where the shooting occurred, including Memorial Hospital of Gardena, Community Hospital of Gardena and Centinela Hospital Medical Center. It was not clear why the men did not drive to those hospitals or call 911 from the car, [LAPD Lt. Larry Barr] said. He said he was not sure whether the men had a cellphone.The men eventually reached a service station four miles away. Paramedics were called and pronounced Dean dead when they arrived.
City News Service reported that at the time of the killing descriptions of the suspects were confusing and convoluted. Authorities believed the shooting was not gang-related.
Note: Due to technical difficulties, the LA Weekly's archive of all homicides within Los Angeles city limits was discontinued near the end of last year. We will be rolling out the 2011 homicides, one by one, until our "Murder was the Case" archive is up to date. Thanks for your patience.
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