Prisoner killed outside facility for inmates nearing end of sentences

Two in a community reentry program near MacArthur Park are shot

- BY MATTHEW ORMSETH

A MALE COMMUNITY Reentry Program is located near MacArthur Park.

A California inmate was killed last week outside a facility near MacArthur Park where some prisoners are allowed to serve the final months of their terms in the community, authorities said.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not announce the homicide, which occurred Sept. 2, and acknowledged only that an inmate in its custody was killed after receiving questions from The Times.

Mary Xjimenez, a department spokeswoman, said two prisoners were shot outside a facility where inmates can serve the tail end of their sentences in a residential setting.

Officer Drake Madison, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said a male suspect approached the two victims at the corner of 6th and Park View streets around 9:30 a.m.

The suspect exchanged words with the men before shooting them, Madison said. One of the victims, described only as a 56-year-old man, was hospitalized in stable condition, Madison said. The other died.

The suspect fled on foot, Madison said. He hasn't been identified by police.

Xjimenez declined to disclose information about the victims, such as their names or why they were in prison, saying the LAPD told her it would hamper their investigation.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner identified the dead man as Joshua Orozco.