Eronald Deas III, an 18-year-old from Long Beach, California, was tragically shot and killed on October 6, 2019. The incident occurred near East 69th Way and Muriel Avenue. According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s records, Deas was found on a sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. Despite the efforts of the responding officers and medics, Deas was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 7 p.m. The Long Beach Police Department reported that Deas was walking north across the intersection when multiple individuals approached him and fired several rounds. The motive for the shooting was initially unclear, and investigators sought public assistance to gather more information.
The investigation into Deas's murder revealed that the attack was gang-related, although Deas himself was not affiliated with any gang. Over the course of the investigation, several suspects were identified and arrested. On August 20, 2020, the Long Beach Police Department conducted a multi-location operation, serving eight search warrants across various cities, including Los Angeles, Bellflower, Anaheim, and Fullerton. This operation led to the arrest of multiple individuals connected to the murder.
Among those arrested were Stevie Ray Deal, John Amos Jackson, Curtis Jackson, and Jaquan Adams. Stevie Ray Deal, a 19-year-old resident of Los Angeles, was already in custody for an unrelated charge but was subsequently charged with murder. John Amos Jackson, also 19, was arrested during a traffic stop near his residence in Long Beach. Curtis Jackson, a 27-year-old from Bellflower, was apprehended in South Gate, while Jaquan Adams, a 24-year-old from Fullerton, was arrested at his residence. Each of these individuals was held on $2,000,000 bail.
The investigation continued, and on October 8, 2020, Kumari Powell, an 18-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested near his residence. Powell was initially booked for fugitive arrest from another state and later extradited to Long Beach, where he was charged with murder. This marked the sixth arrest related to Deas's murder. The Long Beach Police Department expressed gratitude to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their assistance in apprehending Powell.
The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. The coordinated efforts of the Long Beach Police Department and other law enforcement agencies were crucial in bringing the suspects to justice and providing some measure of closure to Deas's family and the community.
