Emile Antonio Romain was 53 years old when he died on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, in downtown Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1106 E. 7th St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Central Division case.
The coroner's records describe him as a Black man. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report gave an account of his last minutes. At about 6:30 p.m., he "staggered into the C & C Market." He told the clerk to call 911 and then collapsed on the floor. He had been stabbed at least once in the chest, and he was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital. Witnesses told detectives they had seen him attacked and beaten by five men on the sidewalk near 7th and Ceres streets, according to Lt. Jim Gavin of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officials stressed that the investigation was in its very early stages, with little evidence to go on.
Nothing more about the attack has been made public. The reports do not describe the five men, say whether they arrived together or fled on foot or in a car, or explain what led to the beating. They do not say whether Emile knew any of them, whether he was robbed, or whether he lived or worked nearby. That several people saw the attack, and that it happened on a sidewalk in the early evening, suggests there may be more witnesses than ever came forward.
No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found for this story, and no news outlet other than the Times appears to have reported on his death. Searches for his name turned up other men named Emile Romain in Canada, in Florida and elsewhere, none of whom can be connected to the man who died on 7th Street. He surely had family and friends who remember him, but their memories have not entered the public record.
The 1100 block of East 7th Street lies on the eastern side of downtown Los Angeles, between Skid Row and the industrial and wholesale districts. The area is filled with warehouses, produce and wholesale businesses, small markets and older buildings, and many people without housing live on the surrounding sidewalks. Ceres Avenue is a short street that crosses 7th in this area. By early evening in December it would have been dark, though the street would still have had foot traffic.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Emile Antonio Romain 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 7th Street and Ceres Avenue on the evening of Dec. 14, 2011, who saw the group of men who attacked him, or who was in or near the C & C Market that evening, may hold information that could help detectives. The Times asked tipsters to call the Central Homicide Unit at 972-1254. 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 call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
