A night of shootings in Pomona leaves three dead

By Joel Rubin
August 11, 2013, 12:18 p.m.



A series of deadly shootings in Pomona on Saturday night and Sunday morning left three people dead and others injured, according to police.
The violence began shortly before 9:30 p.m., when a car pulled alongside Jose Cerda, 45, as he rode on a bicycle near the intersection of Garey and Lexington avenues. Someone inside the vehicle opened fired on Cerda, hitting him several times, a police report said.
Cerda, a Pomona resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Two hours later, Isais Garcia Lopez, 24, and an 18-year-old whom police did not identify were walking in an alley on the 300 block of Orchid Lane, when a gunman opened fire on them. Both men were struck repeatedly and Lopez died in the alley. The teen managed to run a short distance to a nearby courtyard before collapsing. Medics airlifted him to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center, where he underwent surgery, police said in a statement. His condition was not known.
Then, in the early morning hours, gunfire erupted twice again. Minutes before 2 a.m., police responded to reports of gun shots on the 2200 block of Canterbury Avenue. Officers found the street littered with spent shell casings and two vehicles pockmarked by bullets. They also discovered a 29-year-old man suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the leg. Police did not identify the man.
Angel Bravo was the last to die. Shortly before 3 a.m., Bravo, 29, stepped out of his home on the 1700 block of Benedict Way to go to the store, police said.  Someone pulled up alongside Bravo in a car and opened fire. He was struck several times in the chest area and died in the street, according to police. Police said the car may have been a white, compact model.
Pomona police did not comment on whether they believe any or all of the shootings were related.
Such bloodshed is not new to Pomona, a city of about 150,000 people, 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
In March, a string of apparently unconnected shootings over the course of several days left four young men dead.
And, in April, a 13-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy were shot to death in the same alley on Orchid Lane where one of the fatal encounters occurred last night.
Anyone with information about any of the latest incidents should call Pomona detectives at (909) 620-2085. Tips can be made anonymously by calling (800) 222-8477.
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Twitter: @joelrubin
joel.rubin@latimes.com