Hiram T. Wooden Jr. was found gravely wounded on a downtown Los Angeles street in the early hours of Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, and died about an hour later. The Los Angeles Times gave his age as 39, while its data record lists 38. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds, and the location of the case is recorded as 500 Seaton St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report told a story of a stranger who tried to save him. It said Wooden "was found shot on Seaton Avenue near 5th and Alameda streets in Los Angeles at about 1 a.m.," but later in the same report said that "investigators believe he had been stabbed," and the coroner's record lists stabbing as the cause. "A passerby found Wooden, wounded and bleeding, and started to drive him to the hospital," the Times wrote.
"Wooden's blood flowed all over the interior of his van, said Central Division Lt. Paul Vernon." On the way, "Wooden's would-be rescuer saw an ambulance, flagged it down and handed his wounded passenger off to paramedics." The paramedics took him to a hospital, "where he died about an hour later."
The report also pointed to a possible link with another attack. Investigators said "another non-fatal stabbing in the area a few hours earlier might be related." If that was so, the same person may have been responsible for both, and the survivor of the earlier stabbing may have been able to describe the attacker. The record does not say whether that link was ever confirmed. At the time, the Times said anyone with information was asked to call the LAPD at (877) LAWFULL (877-529-3855).
Beyond those details, almost nothing about his life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. The "Jr." in his name suggests that he was named for his father, but nothing more about his family has been reported. His case is also listed in some records under the name Bryan Wooden, a name shared by many unrelated people, which may have made it harder for anyone searching for him to find his story.
The stretch of downtown around 5th Street and Alameda Street lies at the eastern edge of Skid Row, where the district's shelters and residential hotels give way to warehouses, wholesale businesses and loading docks. Late at night the area is quiet compared with the rest of downtown, with few businesses open and little traffic beyond trucks and people living on the 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 Hiram T. Wooden Jr. could be found in news archives or public records. More than 18 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Seaton Street and 5th and Alameda streets late on Aug. 9 or early on Aug. 10, 2007, who knows about the earlier stabbing that night, or who knew Hiram Wooden, 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).
