Last week, a California prisoner was killed outside a facility near MacArthur Park, some of whom could serve in the final months of his community term.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not announce the September 2 homicide and admitted only that the detained inmates died after receiving questions from the New York Times.
CDCR spokesman Mary Xjimenez said two inmates were shot outside the facility and could serve their sentences in a residential setting.
A male suspect approached two victims on Sixth and Park Streets around 9:30 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Drake Madison said
Madison said the suspects exchanged words with the men before shooting them. Madison said one of the victims was described as a 56-year-old man with a stable condition. The other one is dead.
Madison said the suspect fled on foot. He was not confirmed by the police.
Xjimenez declined to disclose information about the victims, such as their names or why they were in jail, saying LAPD told her that it would “hinder” their investigation.
Los Angeles County medical examiners identified the deceased as 35-year-old Joshua Orozco.
“He was delighted to have a second chance and was eager to start a new chapter in his life, work towards a bright future and spend time with his family,” they wrote. “This sudden loss destroyed us all.”
Orozco is a prominent member of the two, a gang of so-called “school dropouts” targeted by traditional streets and prison gangs, said a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
The facility near MacArthur Park is one of three CDCR operates in Los Angeles County as part of its Male Community Reentry Program. The other two are in southern Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Currently, about 730 men convicted of crimes in state courts are currently in the remaining time at seven male community reentering facilities in California. A similar plan accommodates approximately 400 female prisoners in six facilities.
CDCR touts its re-entry program, giving inmates access to medication, vocational training and other services. In August, the department published a study saying participants were much less likely to reoffend than prisoners serving in prison.
The inmates were allowed to leave the facility with prior approval, and Xjimenez said two victims were returning from “approved activities” when they were shot.
CDCR said only criminal offenders who are 32 months or less are eligible to participate in the re-entry program. But the department reported in March that Deshon Daniels, who had been on robbery for less than 15 years, stood out from a facility in Los Angeles County.
Nearly two weeks after the arrest of 27-year-old Daniels. He is now located in the Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County, facing a Los Angeles County escape charge.
According to CDCR’s comments to the public statement, six inmates absconded from the male community reentry program facility in Los Angeles County this year. They include five convicted robbers and a man imprisoned for fleeing police.
CDCR agents captured all the escapees, but Jose Arroyo has been robbing for 21 years since 2008. Arroyo, 39, left the Los Angeles County facility on March 28 and has never seen it again.
