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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Jury recommends death for gang member who killed Long Beach cop
Monday April 14, 2003
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) A Superior Court jury unanimously
recommended the death penalty for a gang member who used an assault
rifle to fire 28 rounds into an unmarked police car, killing a Long
Beach officer.
The six-woman, six-man panel deliberated for two hours before
issuing its recommendation Monday in the case of 21-year-old
Compton gang member Ramon Sandoval Jr.
``He's a predator,'' said Robert Luna, chief of staff for Police
Chief Anthony Batts. ``The citizens of this community are a lot
safer. He'll never have the opportunity to be out on the street
again.''
Another jury convicted Sandoval of first degree murder on Oct.
21, also finding true special circumstance allegations of murder of
a police officer performing his duties, murder to avoid arrest,
lying in wait and street gang murder. The first jury, however,
deadlocked 7-5 in favor of execution, so a second jury was sworn in
to consider only the penalty.
Defense attorneys were expected to request that Judge Joan
Comparet-Cassani reduce the punishment to life in prison without
possibility of parole when she sentences Sandoval on May 9.
Officer Daryle Black, 33, was the first Long Beach police
officer shot to death in the line of duty in nearly a quarter
century. His partner, Officer Rick Delfin, was wounded in the head
and leg.
Authorities said Sandoval was searching for a rival gang member
on April 29, 2000, when he came upon a vehicle he recognized as an
undercover police car and opened fire.
He also was convicted of attempted murder and assault for
Delfin's shooting and assault with a deadly weapon in the wounding
of a pregnant woman struck by bullets that penetrated the walls of
her home.
City Councilwoman Laura Richardson said outside court that a
park about a block from the site of the shooting will be named in
Black's honor.
``We're praying that this is kind of a close to everything
that's happened,'' said the officer's brother Howard Black. ``It's
still barely sinking in.''
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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