Community stepping in to help family of tragic Inglewood shooting



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imageAs the Lamas-Jimenez family begins to wade through the dust from a tragic shooting at their home early Saturday morning, community leaders and police departments have begun raising money for the surviving members of the family.

In the predawn hours of Saturday morning, a man broke into the Lamas-Jimenez home on the 4900 block of W 99th Street in Inglewood and opened fire on the family of six.

The father, Filimon Lamas,33, and his 4-year-old son both died as a result of the attack.

Tuesday morning, a vigil of more than a hundred candles, flowers and cards, had sprung up on the sidewalk outside of the family’s home and a half dozen neighbors were paying their respects.

Lamas’ sisters thanked the community for the overwhelming support Tuesday morning and said they were still in shock over their brother and nephew’s deaths.

imageVictim advocate Lita Herron consoles Emma Lome and Carmen Hernandez three days after the tragic shooting that took the life of their brother and nephew in Inglewood on Saturday, October 20, 2012.

“Seeing all of this, I’m happy for my brother because I know he deserves it. I know he was a hero,” said Emma Lome, Lamas’ sister. “God wanted him in heaven.”

His wife, Gloria Jimenez, 28, and two other children were also shot. They remain in stable condition. Only an 8-year-old boy who hid under his covers was not hurt.

According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators are working to confirm the identity of a body found in a burned down bungalow behind the family home.

The bungalow was being rented by Desmond John Moses, who police believe to be the shooter. An autopsy, that is expected to conclude early this week, should determine whether or not the body is that of Moses.

The Lamas family says Moses was upset over being evicted from the home and he may have blamed the Lamas-Jimenez family.

imageThis burned down bungalow home was being rented by Desmond John Moses, who is believed to have shot his neighbors before setting his home on fire and shooting himself in the head.

Meanwhile, community leaders and police have begun raising money for the family with two separate funds.

Civil rights activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson is helping the family cope with the aftermath of the tragedy. His organization, the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, is donating $250 to the family fund.

“Any time you have this kind of violence, any time you have this kind of tragedy, that affects a whole family and children, it is nothing but a monumental tragedy,” Hutchinson said.

He is urging others to donate as well, saying that the financial burden of victims is often forgotten.

Additionally, Doors to Heaven Global Ministries on Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood is offering prayer and counseling services to the family and community members.

Another of Lamas’ sisters, Carmen Hernandez says the children are the family’s top priority. She said the children have stopped talking about what happened and asked if they could go to school this morning.

“We’re a big family … there are a lot of nephews and they are around and they’re almost always playing,” Hernandez said. “I think that it has been helping them a lot.”

Lome and Hernandez are hoping that their sister-in-law and her children will return home from the hospital this week.

Donations to the family can be made in the following ways:

Lamas Family Donation Fund
Account No. 5223
ICE Federal Credit Union
1 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90301

Wells Fargo Fund
Account No. 4122412588
13545 Hawthorne Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250