3 arrested in shooting that killed beloved Long Beach street vendor, police say
Yener Ramirez Miranda, 37, of Wilmington was working his usual street vending route in Long Beach when was killed by stray gunfire on March 20.
Long Beach police say they’ve arrested three gang members believed to be responsible for a shooting in March that left a beloved street vendor dead.
James Havlicheck, 34, of Lakewood, Raylon Akers, 23, of Los Angeles, and Rahman Abdallah, 19, of Long Beach were arrested last week in connection to the fatal shooting of Yener Ramirez Miranda, 37, of Wilmington on March 20.
“Mr. Ramirez Miranda was a father, like myself, a husband and a familiar face to those he served in our community,” Mayor Rex Richardson said during a press conference Monday morning.
“I firmly believe that everyone has a right to do business and live in our communities free of gun violence … including our street vendors," Richardson continued.
Havlicheck is expected to be charged with accessory to murder for his alleged role in the crime and is being held on $1 million bail. Akers and Abdallah, meanwhile, are expected to be charged with murder and are being held on $2 million bail, police said.
Ramirez was selling corn and shaved ice near Lafayette Elementary that day, as he had done for the last 15 years, according to his family.
He pushed his cart through the afternoon, eventually making his way onto the 100 block of Eagle Street, according to police and family.
Unbeknownst to Ramirez, Akers, Abdallah and Havlicheck were a block away getting ready to target rival gang members, police said.
At some point, Akers and Abdallah shot at the rival gang members, police said, but stray gunfire struck Ramirez in the head and neck, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office. The 37-year-old was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
Detectives responded to the scene and collected evidence, including security footage, which police said was crucial in identifying the suspects.
In addition to taking the three men into custody last week, police served six warrants at locations connected to the suspects and found six guns. Police, however, could not say whether any of the guns were used in the fatal shooting.
“Although I’m happy to be able to announce these arrests, we still have work to do,” Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish said at the press conference. “Homicide personnel continues investigating in order to identify and arrest anyone else that might have played a role in this murder.”
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