Fatal Shooting of New Father Prompts Talk of Peace

As police continued to search on Monday for the killer of a new father shot to death as he walked home, residents talked about reaching out to gang shot callers to try and foster peace.

Duarte residents met at a community center in Duarte as the sheriff's department increased patrols in and around Duarte in the aftermath of two shootings on Sunday, including one that killed a young father.

Read: New Father Killed While Walking Home From Work

The fatal shooting was reported at 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the 2000 block of Broderick Avenue, said sheriff's Deputy Benjamin Grubb.

Malcolm Mency was gunned down as he walked home after working a shift at the nearby Sonic Drive-In, according to family members who said he worked two jobs and was the father of a 1-month-old son.

"Looking at my baby everyday ... What am I going to tell him when he asks where his dad is at?" said Mency's girlfriend, Lebreonna Moore.

Though police said no information on a suspect was available, family members believe Mency was the victim of racial profiling.

"He had been complaining about this for so long and nobody (did anything)," Mency's sister said of his hopes to end racism.

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The second shooting occurred just after 3 p.m. Sunday.

An unidentified man was in his front yard when a light-colored vehicle passed by and one of the two occupants shot him in the lower back in the area of Mt. Olive Drive and Bloomfield Street, according to the watch commander at the Temple Station.

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The victim's injury was said to be non-life-threatening, according to the sheriff's department.

Anyone with information about the gunfire was urged to call homicide detectives at 323-890-5500. They also can anonymously provide a tip by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477) or sending an email to lacrimestoppers.org.