Skip to Content
Crime

Tragic San Pedro Shooting Occurred During Softball Game Promoting Peace Among Street Gangs

12:04 PM PDT on July 28, 2022

Over 50 shots punctured the serenity of a Sunday afternoon at Peck Park in San Pedro this week, leaving eight people (four women and five men) wounded. Thirty-one-year-old Tashman “Taz” Williams and 29-year-old Carlyle Phillips both died from their injuries at the hospital.

Hundreds of people were reportedly gathered in the sprawling park, which features a swimming pool, baseball diamond, and hiking trails, among other public amenities. Initial headlines in the wake of the tragedy appeared to point fingers at an adjoining car show happening at Peck during the afternoon hour when shots were first fired (shortly before 4 PM), reportedly originating in the vicinity of the baseball diamond. Early police reports said the shooting was potentially gang-related.

An update from the AP suggests that the shooting occurred against the backdrop of a few events intended to promote peace in the community, notably a weekly softball game organized by local non-profits, including R.A.C.E. (Reclaiming America's Communities through Empowerment), to encourage dialogue and harmony between South L.A. street gangs.

Sunday’s game, which was reportedly organized between Crip sets in Compton, followed the death of Reynaldo Reaser, R.A.C.E.’s founder and executive director, in a car crash on the 405 Freeway in Carson in early June.

According to the report, the game or the gangs themselves didn’t play a role in sparking the shootings. However, a “dispute” between two individuals turned into a “gunfight that spilled over onto the softball diamond.”

LAPD Captain Adrian Gonzalez reported to a City Council meeting on Tuesday night: “It wasn’t a team-on-team versus each other. It wasn’t a gang-on-gang versus each other. It was a couple of individuals that we have identified who had a dispute, and they decided to bring it to the park on Sunday afternoon… It was very specific individuals who were either participating in the… game or were there as spectators who were involved in the dispute.”

According to a witness, dozens of shots began popping off, causing a rush of people to run away from the gunfire, some hiding in a ditch to avoid being struck, and one of the two victims who later died being shot while attempting to flee in a car.

Andre Pierson, the V.P. of the National Low Rider Association, told KABC there were “People running everywhere, trying to drive to get out. Wrecking, bumping cars… I've been in gang intervention for a long time, and that's one of the most horrific scenes I've seen."

Cpt. Gonzalez said the shooting “spilled over” into a parking lot above the baseball field and also at a park entrance, where a few people were shot while fleeing the tragedy. Police recovered four handguns amid the three different scenes, as well as over 50 shells, while currently, no one is in custody for the calamity. Police are promising to increase patrols in the park and its surroundings.

Cornell “Coach” Ward, of the Southern California CeaseFire Committee, told The L.A. Times he believes the friction and resulting violence may be the result of internal disputes that are something “like a Civil War” inside the Santana Blocc Compton Crips.

Skipp Townsend, the former Blood and well-known gang interventionist, was heading in the direction of the park among a Peace Ride convoy, shown here on his video, and told AP the day following the shooting, “It broke my heart… we have these type of events, so we don’t have shootings.”

On Tuesday, distraught neighbors gathered at the park and expressed their anger to police over unsafe conditions there, with one reportedly being applauded after saying, “Peck Park has been an issue. Not only on Sunday, but it has also been an issue for years, and you need police presence. It's not a safe place for young families.”

Nonetheless, following Sunday’s shooting, the city has decided to cancel all summer Sunday events at Peck Park, snuffing all existing and potential permits. Saturday events, which are booked at a greater number, can still go on as planned.

Considering the quoted neighbor specified that Sunday wasn’t exactly the issue here, whether or not keeping Sunday events, including ones promoting peace, out of the park will put any kind of substantial-end to such bloodshed remains to be seen. Meanwhile, gang interventionists say they are attempting to stop retribution stemming from Sunday’s heartbreaking violence.

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts