Harvey Shavell Dobbins

Harvey Shavell Dobbins was 40 years old when he died early on Saturday, April 2, 2011, in Watts. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds and other factors at 1701 E. Century Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Criminal Gang Homicide Group.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded what the coroner's office said at the time. Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner, said Dobbins "was found on the street with possible stab wounds." Authorities were called, and he was pronounced dead at the scene at about 3 a.m.

At first, the cause of death was not settled. Although his death was initially treated as a homicide, Winter said a final determination had been deferred and would not be available for at least six to eight weeks. The answer came months later. In an update dated January 12, 2012, the Times reported that, according to coroner's records, Dobbins "died from several factors including atherosclerotic heart disease, cocaine use and multiple sharp force injuries." His death was ruled a homicide.

That finding means that, whatever role his heart condition and drug use played, the coroner concluded that the injuries someone inflicted on him contributed to his death. The fact that the case was assigned to gang homicide detectives may suggest that investigators considered a possible gang link, but no public report says so.

Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Harvey Dobbins has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and searches for his name turn up only older family histories and other people named Dobbins in other states. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.

The record does not say whether he was attacked during a fight or a robbery, by a stranger or by someone he knew. It does not say whether anyone saw what happened in the hours before 3 a.m., whether he was hurt where he was found, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.

Watts is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, known around the world for the Watts Towers, the soaring mosaic sculptures built by Simon Rodia, and for the 1965 uprising that began there. It is a community of modest homes, apartment buildings and several large public housing developments, and Century Boulevard is one of its main east-west streets.

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 Harvey Shavell Dobbins 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 knew a 40-year-old man named Harvey Dobbins, or who was on or near East Century Boulevard in Watts late on April 1 or early on April 2, 2011, may hold information 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. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).