12 tied to gang-related 2019 shooting that killed 3, injured 9 at wrong California house arrested

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach authorities on Tuesday announced the arrests of 12 alleged gang members suspected of ties to a 2019 Halloween party shooting that killed three men and wounded nine other people.

The suspected shooters in the Oct. 29 attack on the Rose Park residence reportedly targeted the wrong people, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.

According to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the eight suspects accused by police of being in an alley behind the house that night were arrested and charged with murder and could each face the death penalty.

Two of the 12 suspects were already in custody on unrelated charges, Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna said during a virtual press conference.

“This was a pre-planned attack on what the suspects incorrectly believed to be a party of rival gang members. And I want to clarify that none of the victims at that party were gang members,” Luna said.

Three of the dozen suspects are accused of opening fire at around 10:40 p.m., the Press-Telegram reported.

“Multiple suspects opened fire from the alley and into the backyard where 25 or 30 partygoers were gathered. Ballistics confirm that the shots were fired from three different handguns,” Luna said.

The three men killed in the attack were Maurice Poe Jr., 25, of Long Beach; Ricardo Torres, 28, of Inglewood; and Melvin Williams, 35, of Gardena, KABC reported via City News Service.

Of the remaining nine victims, who ranged in age from 20 to 49, all but one have recovered physically, and police spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria told the Press-Telegram in July that that victim suffered “paralyzing injuries.”

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the eight murder suspects, including the two who were already in custody for unrelated crimes, were each charged with three counts of murder and nine counts of attempted murder. They include:

• Danny Sourn, 26, of Long Beach, who has been in custody since August on suspicion of a 2018 gang-related murder. In that case, he and another man are accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Richard Van during a confrontation in central Long Beach, the Press-Telegram reported.

• Jeremy Penh, 25, of Long Beach, who has been in custody since February for an unrelated attempted-murder charge.

• David Long, 20, of Long Beach, who was arrested there last week.

• Christopher Williams, 28, of Redlands, who was arrested there.

• Ryan Sim, 18, of Long Beach, who was arrested in San Jose.

• Kaylin Thik, 21, of Ontario, who was arrested there.

• Joshua Sam, 41, of Long Beach, who was arrested there.

• Grant Johnson, 35, of Orange, who was arrested there.

Police said the remaining four suspects are being charged for their actions following the shooting, including:

• Dara Chhun, 27, of Spring Valley, who was arrested in that city and booked as an accessory to murder.

• Long Beach residents Samnang Long, 37, and Andy Prok, 28, who were both arrested on suspicion of firearm-related charges.

• Derrik Mith, 27, of Ontario, who was arrested on suspicion of a firearm-related charge.

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Cox Media Group