A woman and a man were charged today with murder in connection with the shooting of a homeless double-amputee in a wheelchair outside a McDonald's restaurant in South Los Angeles.
Ruby Salazar, 37, of Los Angeles, is charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder, along with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The charges include allegations of use of a firearm, infliction of great bodily injury and use of a firearm during a specified offense, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Co-defendant Raymundo Hernandez, 34, of Los Angeles, is charged with one count of murder.
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Police allege that Salazar walked up to Gerold Lipeles and shot him May 17 as the 69-year-old man was asleep in his wheelchair outside a McDonald's in the 1700 block of West Century Boulevard.
Police did not disclose Hernandez's alleged involvement in Lipeles' killing.
Detectives also linked Salazar to an attempted murder four days later in which a 67-year-old homeless woman, Stella Polly, was shot in the back as she walked away from a bus stop in the 1600 block of West Manchester Avenue after Salazar allegedly initiated a conversation, according to police.
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Salazar has been behind bars since her May 22 arrest by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, according to jail records. Police said she has been re-arrested on suspicion of murder.
Hernandez was arrested Tuesday by Los Angeles police, along with a second man, Blas Canche, 32, of Los Angeles, according to police.
The District Attorney's Office asked for further investigation involving a potential case against Canche, police said.
In a statement announcing the filing, District Attorney George Gascón called it an “unthinkable crime.”
“The murder of this victim -- who was unhoused and a double amputee asleep in his wheelchair -- is disturbingly brutal and callous,” Gascón said.