Antwan Davon Enwere was 22 years old when he died early on Thursday, December 23, 2010, in the Hawthorne area of the South Bay. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 4365 W. 116th St. 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 22-year-old black man" who died "about half an hour after he was stabbed in the 4300 block of West 116th Street in Hawthorne." Citing a Sheriff's Department news release, the Times reported that deputies "found Enwere in a walkway suffering from several stab wounds about 11:40 p.m. Dec. 22," two days before Christmas Eve. He was taken to a hospital, where he died at 12:15 a.m.
Detectives learned that he "was talking to at least two men when a fight began." The Times reported that "people living in the area heard yelling and cries for help.
When they looked outside, they saw the two men get into a silver sedan and flee the area." Investigators did not have a description of the assailants, and "the motive for the stabbing remains unknown." Sheriff's Detective Rich Tomlin and Sergeant Luis Nunez were named as the investigators.
The account leaves many questions open. It does not say whether he knew the two men or met them by chance, whether he lived on the block or was visiting someone there, or what the conversation was about before it turned into a fight. The fact that the two men left together in a car suggests that they may have arrived together, but the record does not say whether anyone saw the car arrive, noted its license plate or could describe either man.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Antwan Enwere 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. His surname is uncommon, yet searches turned up nothing else about him. He surely had family and friends who remember who he was, and who spent that holiday season without him, but none of that has entered the public record.
Hawthorne is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, south of Inglewood. It is a dense community of apartment buildings and modest single-family homes, and it is known as the home of the Hawthorne Municipal Airport and the rocket maker SpaceX. Sheriff's homicide detectives handled this case.
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 Antwan Davon Enwere could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Neighbors on West 116th Street heard the fight and saw two men drive away in a silver sedan, and someone may know who those men were. Anyone who was in that area late on the night of December 22, 2010, or who later heard talk about the fight, 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 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 (8477).
