People v. Love CA2/6

FACTS

Raymond Williams was fatally shot one night after he won money gambling. On the night of April 11, 1997, Chaka Thomas picked up Love and drove to a dice game in Hawthorne. Several other men were there, including Lamar Salone and Williams. Salone showed Thomas a semiautomatic pistol and said he was “strapped.” (People v. Love, supra, B140458.) Love and Salone participated in the dice game and lost money. Williams won his bets that evening and boasted about his luck to the others. He left the game and drove away in his van. Thomas left the game shortly after Williams departed and was joined by Love and Salone. When they reached the corner of 139th Street and Kornblum Avenue, Salone asked Thomas to stop the car. Thomas parked and Salone got out followed by Love. A witness who was in the area testified, “At first I heard one shot, then about four or five after that.” (People v. Love, supra, B140458.) Love ran back to the car and said “Let’s go.” (Ibid.) He was laughing as he said it. As they were driving away, Love told Thomas that Williams

2 “started trippin so we had to knock him off.” (Ibid.) He showed Thomas a roll of money and offered him some, which Thomas refused.…