Fatal Shootings May Be Linked to Failed Gang Truce Attempt

Three violent attacks in Compton that left two men dead and four injured may have been related to an attempted gang truce over the weekend, police now believe.

The first victim, Jose Gonzales, 21, was shot during an apparent gang truce meeting late Sunday afternoon in Gonzales Park on West Cressey Street, said police Capt. Steve Roller. Gonzales died of his wounds about 7:15 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center.

Ten minutes after Gonzales died, a juvenile and Eduardo Jimenez, 18, were shot by unknown assailants as they waited at a traffic light at Long Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. The 16-year-old juvenile, who was not identified because of his age, remains in critical condition.

At 11:30 p.m., police were called to a shooting in the 400 block of North Rose Avenue. In that incident, Marcos Rivera, 30, died and two others were seriously injured.

Since each of the victims had some gang affiliation, investigators believe that the incidents might be related to whatever dispute began at the truce meeting, Roller said.