The suspect in the double homicide of his estranged girlfriend and her daughter who were killed in Compton, Calif. on Tuesday, April 1, is on the run, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD) Thursday, April 3 news release.
Donte Lamont Brown, 41, is suspected of killing Tameeka “La’von” Hall, 45, and her daughter Ma’Laysia “Lay Lay” Martin, 22, who were both fatally shot on Tuesday. Brown, who was Hall’s estranged boyfriend, “is considered to be armed and dangerous,” per the LACSD.
Brown allegedly drove up alongside Hall and Martin in their vehicle while they were stopped at a red light at the intersection of Caldwell Street and South Central Avenue, the LACSD said. He allegedly fired shots into the vehicle. Hall then left the driver’s side of the vehicle and fell to the ground.
The suspect, who was in a driverless vehicle, fled the scene and then collided with a traffic signal pole.
Around 7:05 p.m., deputies responded to a call reporting a shooting. There, they found Hall suffering from gunshot wounds on the ground. Authorities also discovered Martin suffering from gunshot wounds in the vehicle’s passenger seat.
The Compton Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced both victims deceased.
“My brother got murdered around the corner some years ago. I can’t imagine the pain they were going through at the time,” witness Debbie Shaw said, per ABC 7. “Just to come out here to see a mother and a daughter – that’s really heartbreaking.”
“It’s just very tragic for our community. We don’t like to hear anything like that. We don’t want that sort of thing to happen in anyone’s community,” Compton City Councilman Jonathan Bowers said, per ABC 7. “We’ve had enough violence occur here in Compton. We’re not pleased with this at all.”
“When I heard on the news, being a mother and a woman, it just touched my heart,” nearby neighbor named Ronnie told Fox 11. “I felt for the family.”
“Sometimes, you can’t even have a party [at] your house because somebody [will] drive by and shoot up the party,” she said. “It’s really ridiculous.”
“I hope you get caught because you need to go to prison,” Ronnie said directly to Brown. “You need to stay off the streets. Why don’t you go and turn yourself in, and we’re going to pray for you anyways.”
Hall’s aunt, Habeeb Rasheed, and brother Uron, created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for funeral expenses.
“The story of their end was horrible,” read the description. “Tameeka the mom, my niece worked as the school district many years and helped nurture a brilliant young artist Ma’Laysia Lay Lay. I want to share the love of family and each other.”
Representatives for the Compton Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not provide further comment when contacted by PEOPLE on Friday.
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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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