Larry Howard was 19 years old when he was attacked on Saturday, March 28, 2009, in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area of South Los Angeles. In the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, which draws on records of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, the cause of his death is listed as blunt force trauma, in the 4800 block of August Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department case, handled by South Bureau Homicide.
The account that the Times published describes a shooting. It said that Larry, a Black man of 19, "was shot several times Saturday, March 28, 2009, in the 4800 block of August Street in Crenshaw, according to authorities." Los Angeles police said that he "was standing in a courtyard when someone approached him and began shooting. They described the assault as unprovoked." He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said they "had no description of the assailant and had not recovered a weapon."
The public record does not explain why the cause of death is listed as blunt force when the written account describes gunfire. It may be an error in the database entry, or he may have suffered injuries of more than one kind, but that cannot be confirmed from what has been released. The Times listed the detectives on the case as members of the department's Criminal Gang Homicide Group, which suggests that investigators considered a gang link possible, though the report does not say that Larry himself was involved with a gang.
Beyond those few lines, almost nothing about Larry Howard has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no other news outlet appears to have reported on the death. Larry Howard is a common name, and searches for it turn up a former major league catcher, a blues musician and many other men across the country, none of them the young man who died after the attack on August Street. He surely had family and friends who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
The Crenshaw district and the neighboring Baldwin Hills form one of the best-known centers of Black life in Los Angeles. The area includes Leimert Park, with its arts and music scene, and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping center. August Street is a residential street in this part of the city.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved. An unprovoked shooting of a 19-year-old in a courtyard, with no description of the gunman, left detectives with little to go on.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Larry Howard could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in or near the 4800 block of August Street on March 28, 2009, or who heard someone talk about the shooting afterward, may know something that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. The Times asked anyone with information to contact Criminal Gang Homicide Group Detectives R. Lait or A. Applegate at 485-4341 or 485-1383. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
