A California inmate was killed outside a community reentry facility near MacArthur Park where some prisoners are allowed to serve the final months of their terms in the community, authorities said.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) did not acknowledge the homicide, which occurred Sept. 2, and only acknowledged that an inmate in its custody was killed after receiving questions from the press.
Mary Xjimenez, a spokeswoman for CDCR, said two prisoners were shot outside a facility where inmates can serve the tail end of their sentences in a residential setting. Xjimenez declined to provide any more details.
Officer Drake Madison, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said a male suspect approached the two victims at the corner of 6th and Park View streets around 9:30 a.m.
The suspect exchanged words with the men before shooting them, Madison said. One of the victims, described only as a 56-year-old man, was hospitalized in stable condition, Madison said. The other died.
The suspect fled on foot, Madison said. He hasn’t been identified by police.
Xjimenez declined to disclose information about the victims, such as their names or why they were in prison, saying the LAPD told her it would “hamper” their investigation.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the dead man as Joshua Orozco.
A law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the case said Orozco, 35, was a reputed member of the Two-Fivers. The Two-Fivers are a prison gang comprised of members who dropped out of other prison gangs.
CDCR says only inmates with 32 months or less remaining on their sentences are eligible for the reentry programs. However, current laws allow for a multitude of sentencing credits getting inmates to that 32-or-less number very quickly. Multiple inmates abscond from CDCR reentry facilities every year. Just this year, six inmates walked away from reentry facilities in Los Angeles alone.
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