Detectives investigating the unsolved 2020 killing of 35-year-old Demetri Lamar Alexander have released images of two suspects and the vehicle believed used in the shooting, hoping someone will finally recognize them. Alexander was shot in a parking lot in the 3500 block of West Slauson Avenue, just west of Crenshaw Boulevard, around 9:25 p.m. on December 29, 2020, and died at a hospital the following day, police said.
The shooting happened in the Park Mesa Heights neighborhood of South Los Angeles, according to MyNewsLA.com, which reported that the Los Angeles Police Department released the suspect photos in hopes that the public could help identify the people responsible. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, citing Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner records, lists Alexander's death near the same Slauson Avenue address and reported that he was shot and died.
Detective Franco, a member of the South Bureau section of LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, is handling tip calls at 323-786-5128. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477) or submit information online through Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers.
A Reward With a Deadline
The city's $50,000 reward seeks information leading to an arrest and conviction in Alexander's killing. The homicide occurred in Park Mesa Heights.
A legal notice published in the Los Angeles Times describes the $50,000 reward offer.
A Case Rooted in a Violent Year
Alexander's killing came during the COVID-19 pandemic. By early 2021, Crosstown LA published data about shootings in Los Angeles.
The South Bureau Homicide Division handling Alexander's case oversees investigations across 31 square miles and four patrol divisions, and it investigates more than 40% of all homicides citywide, Hoodline previously reported. The 3500 block of West Slauson Avenue itself falls within the footprint of LAPD's 77th Street Area Community Police Station, which serves roughly 175,000 residents across nearly 12 square miles of South Los Angeles.
Despite the pandemic-era violence spike, South Bureau detectives continued their work. LAPD reported 327 homicides in 2023.
Whether that track record extends to Alexander's nearly six-year-old case remains to be seen. For now, investigators are counting on the newly released images to jog someone's memory.
