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From DPD
On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at approximately 1:56 p.m., officers received a call of a possible shooting at a residence in the 12700 block of Samonline Avenue. Officers responded and located an adult male and female suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The male was pronounced deceased at the scene and the female was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The female remains in critical condition at this time.
Detectives investigating the case were able to determine that this was not a random act. The evidence points to a murder/suicide. Detectives are reviewing all the evidence and the investigation continues.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or other incidents is encouraged to call the Downey Police Department at (562) 904-2308 or Detective Ethan Roberts at (562) 904-2333.
To provide information ANONYMOUSLY, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS or by texting the letters TIPLA, plus, to CRIMES (274637) or by using the website.
Murder suicide was by 2 of my former friends home:
Dr. Warren Family
Dr. Vracin Family
Old Luxor 1800’s Farmhouse n Compounds- OLIVE TREE was close to this murder-suicide.
1960’s, EAST Luxor Street Cul-De-Ssac,/ Rives, City of Downey, sat an old turn of the century Farmhouse Bungalow – Garage and Woodshed. Today, with MUNICIPAL alterations to old track-lot mapping, via City of Downey Planning Department , lot sub division was created and today, sits 1965-1966 circa collection of 2 story homes, Luxor address from 7803- 7834, all 2 story homes, built by one developer.
Old 1800’s Luxor Estate Compounds, was a couple acres in size, overgrown California Native jungle, from Rives Street, all the way to the rear of the lot. Halfway in the middle of the lot, sat a private two or three bedroom small white painted late 1800’s Craftsman Bungalow, detached carriage style garage, and out in the very back sat most unique woodshed, small museum for natural girly art and photographs ( gentlemen den for poker and girly photos) . Interior of woodshed, smelled cigar and rain damage rot.
Said Luxor estate property was horticulturally covered with California natives, there was no irrigation nor gardening service, everything just an overgrown natural jungle. Lot measuring a couple acres in depth from Rives Street to rear property line.
Many of the Downey neighborhood boys/ teenagers used to flock to this private and most remote jungle reserve, it was the perfect place to catch wild butterflies, grasshoppers, polliwogs and toads in the winter months, bird watching (Blue Jays, crows, wild peacocks) at times when the surrounding orange groves were in producing fruits mode, we would see wild foxes roaming this area eating the fruits from surrounding adjacent Orchards. Most of the male teenagers had elaborate butterfly collections, which were found and caught, from this property and identified their species names and mounted them in glass frames. Many winter months, when we hunted insects deep in this jungle, we could smell residue from old burning smudge pots and our lower section of clothes, would be stained with smudge pot soot.
The OWNERS: husband and wife who owned this property were seniors, old 60- 70 years old, gray haired, kind of hillbilly in appearance, and let (US) Downey kids rome as they wanted to. They didn’t drive much anymore, car sat in the garage.
Many of us males, enjoyed entering the rear yard woodshed, took in the sweet smell from the cigar smoke wood , and look at all the girly photos and art pieces, scattered inside the garden wood shed. Times we found old WW2 nudy PLAYING cards and poker chips left behind from prior card games. Other times, we would see remains of empty booze bottles thrown in the corners. Home had no running water, relied on well water and had septic tanks for sewer.
During the early 1960s, word circulated around town and in the local news ( Harold Examiner and South East News), etc, that Developers were trying to purchase, said non improved land, so…….nature historical lovers started looking deep inside the property to see if there was anything worth saving. Luckily, historians found a hundred twenty five year old, Olive Specimen Tree in the center of the field, which they thought was Worth While salvaging for history. Warren High School wanted this Olive Tree in their quad, so the high school PTA and surrounding neighborhoods, aggressively created a volunteer fundraising to save the tree, was root boxed;…………… and the tree was transported by helicopter, from this estate size lot, to the quad at Warren High School, Downey. TV crewman filmed this saga, and also many police cars escorted the tree rescue, on to southbound Rives, then eastward on Stewart and Gray, Northbound on Paramount Boulevard for its future home and Warren High School, Downey California. Warren High School Bands playing music during the arrival of the tree.
The tree survived, but last decade, has fallen ill because of the invasion of many Bark Beetle Borers. Would say the tree looked very good for good 25 to 30 years, and then it was a slow decline . Today I think it has been removed.
Arborist which examined the tree growing on the center of this 1800’s Rives lot, stated that the tree Center bark, the tree was approximately 125 years old, so it’s not clear if that tree was transported in an adult ages, to said estate and grew, or if the tree was planted as a sapling and grew on this famous old estate .
1960’s Gossip about this tree, the tree had a relative olive tree, about the same circa, located at 7725 Luxor St. Where the newer edition to the SFR, sat an old and tall olive tree, which was growing among azaleas and camellias in naturalized setting. This tree is no long there. Tree in the 50’s-60‘s, was owned by Mr. Woodward and his 2 sons: Mike and Gary Woodward, parents were divorced.
During this era, I was attending St. Raymond School, Downey, Ca. when this took place, fortunately for me, my parents wanted me to stay home and watch this historical event unravel. It was most interesting to sit on the curbside of Rives, watch the cranes lift the box tree and airlift via helicopter, poss. the oldest Olive Tree in Downey; to its new home site at Warren High School. The trunk of the tree was enormous and had a lot of character to the trunk.
Early 1960s- 1966, About Doz 2 story homes were constructed, from the large said land farm parcel. 4 homes at the end of the CDS and 2 homes at the mouth of Luxor, sold for additional $5K-$10K, because larger lots/garage pads. Orig. sold for hi from $38K-$45K, depending on lot size and exterior elevations, etc. During this time, my family left Downey, Ca. for Palos Verdes Peninsula, Ca.; for better schools and environment. Downey was trying to recover from the mini recession left over from Rockwell and GM in South Gate.
During the development of E. Luxor, can distinctly remember like it was yesterday, when Rives Boulevard, home to the staging for 18-wheeler flatbed trucks, unloading bulldozers and tractors, plus the street was lined with dump trucks. Within a couple of days field and house was bulldoze down to ruins. Debris was hauled away in large 18-wheeler dump trucks. Then the Earth graders aggressively leveled off the field, E Luxor St was born, then the wood forms started to be formed for future curbs and gutters. Then etched out in the soil was the survey for each raised home, the homes were all concrete poured slabs and there was no pre-fabrication, each home was individually framed up and built. Houses were built close to the street, and the backyards were minimal except for the end of the cul-de-sac straight.