Charles Allen Moore was 52 years old when he died on Friday, June 17, 2011, a day after he was assaulted in Bellflower, a city in southeast Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma near Cedar Street and Coke Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as a Black man and gave a short account of what detectives learned. Sheriff's homicide detectives responded to a report of an incident shortly before midnight on June 16. They concluded that Moore "had fallen during an altercation with an unknown person." He hit his head on the pavement and suffered major trauma. He was taken to Lakewood Regional Medical Center, where he died the next day at 8:25 p.m. Detectives encouraged residents with information to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
The account leaves the central question open. Detectives believed there had been a confrontation, but the other person was "unknown," and the Times did not report a description, a vehicle, or what the dispute was about. A fall to the pavement during a fight can cause fatal head injuries even when no weapon is used, and the person involved may not have known at the time how badly Moore was hurt. That is an inference only. The record does not say whether that person stayed, fled, or was ever identified.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he was hurt, almost nothing about Charles Allen Moore has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet other than the Times appears to have reported on the death. Charles Moore is one of the most common names in the country, and searches turn up hundreds of other men, including men with the same middle name in Washington, Florida and Tennessee, none of whom had any known connection to Bellflower. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Bellflower is a city of about 75,000 people between Downey, Lakewood, Paramount and Norwalk. Much of it is made up of modest single-family homes and apartment buildings, with commercial strips along its main boulevards. The city contracts with the Sheriff's Department for police services, which is why sheriff's homicide detectives took the case. Late at night, residential corners like Cedar Street and Coke Avenue are usually quiet, and a loud argument or a fight would likely have been heard by people living nearby.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Charles Allen Moore could be found in news archives or public records. More than 14 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Cedar Street and Coke Avenue in Bellflower late on the night of Thursday, June 16, 2011, or who knew Charles Moore and heard talk of an argument or fight, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
