Sheriff: Slaying of three in Compton likely gang-related

COMPTON — Three men found shot to death at a Compton park were likely victims of a gang-related crime, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Wednesday.

The sheriff came to the scene where the bodies were found late Tuesday in a utility room attached to a restroom building at Raymond Street Park.

A sheriff ’s statement described the victims as male Hispanic adults who had suffered gunshot wounds to their upper torsos. Their identities were to be determined by the county coroner.

McDonnell termed the crime “very significant” in an interview with KTLA-TV.

“We’ve been able to make some pretty great gains in Compton in reducing the crime rate and restore quality of life for the people who live here, and a triple murder certainly sets us back in that regard,” he said. “We’re working hard and we’ll find out who did this.”

The Sheriff ’s Department has patrolled Compton since 2000, when the city police force was disbanded.

Mayor Aja Brown called the killings tragic, senseless and a sad moment for the city.

“As Compton prepares to celebrate the spirit of being thankful as a community, the deaths of these three young men will be on all of our minds,” she said in a statement.

Community resources were available to assist the families of the victims, she said.