Family, DA, police ask for help in solving college student's 2008 shooting death

By City News Service

Fentanyl dealers

Family members of a Cal State Northridge student who was shot to death joined Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the killing by asking for the public's help in solving the case.

Clifton "Cliff" Hibbert Jr., a 22-year-old aspiring attorney who was about two weeks shy of his college graduation, and his 23-yearold friend, Kenneth Patterson, were killed March 28, 2008, in the 4200 block of South Figueroa Street.

AdrianGonzalez, commanding officer of the LAPD's South Bureau Homicide Division, told reporters that police have "no fresh leads to pursue at this time."

The two young men had gone with friends to the San Fernando Valley for a celebration and were dropped off in South Los Angeles, where one of the friends lived, while their other two friends searched for a place to park. The victims made contact with a male and female who were standing in front of the location and "then the shooting occurs," Gonzalez said.

The young man's mother, Donna Brown, said she remembers her last interaction with her son -- in which he told her that he loved her — while he was on spring break like "it was yesterday." She said hearing the "heartbreaking news" of her son's death "hit me to the core of my being."

"It was a bullet from a gun in the hands of evil on March the 28th, 2008," she said. "It's been 15 years and my son's case is still unsolved. ... I'm pleading with the community to take a stand for justice, justice for Cliff, justice for your community, for your loved ones because it takes a village. It takes a village to keep your community safe."

Hibbert's sister, Ayanna Parker, said, "It really just feels like it was the other day, unfortunately."

She called her brother's killing a "slaughter" and said it is "very heartbreaking" that he wasn't able to see his dreams fulfilled.

The district attorney said Hibbert was "full of life," "not involved in criminal activity" and the "epitome of the American dream" as a first-generation American born to parents from Jamaica.

"He went to school, he worked hard. He so much wanted to make our community a better place and yet, at age 22, his life was cut short for no reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Gascón said. killed almost four years ago by a drug dealer and he's spending nine years in prison for that crime."

"We know that there are people out there that know who the killer is, and we know there are hundreds of other unsolved cases in our community that have been going on for the last several decades," the county's top prosecutor said. "Every time we have an unsolved homicide we have a killer that is out there potentially harming other members of our community," Gascón said.

Police asked that anyone with information about the shooting contact the LAPD South Bureau Homicide's unsolved unit at 323-786-5100 or https:// lacrimestoppers.org to offer an anonymous tip.

"Ms. Brown, Cliff's mom, and Ayanna, his sister, have had the courage to persevere for the last 15 years and to continue to keep Cliff's name alive," Gonzalez, the LAPD commanding officer, said — imploring anyone within the community to "have the courage" to come forward with information that could help police.

Capelouto said he would keep fighting for the legislation to protect others.

"This is a disappointment, but it is not the end," Umberg said. "This doesn't mean the fight is over. My heart breaks for you. ... At this point, I'm somewhat stunned. I'm obviously disappointed, but I'm committed to working on this issue."

Opponents of the law have argued that it represented an effort to incarcerate the state's way out of a problem, repeating failed policies of the past, without addressing root causes fueling the drug trade. The California Public Defenders Association was among those opposing the measure, calling a reversal of the state's efforts to move away from "draconian punishments" for people "who never intended to kill another human being."

Meanwhile, Orange County supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to support a legislative agenda that included increased penalties for dealing fentanyl. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento was the dissenting vote, echoing the type of opposition heard in Sacramento.

Sarmiento said he opposed Senate Bill 62 and Assembly Bills 701 and 1058. He supported an antifentanyl abuse task force as proposed in Senate Bill 19.

"Nobody disputes the tragedy this causes," Sarmiento said. "But this movie's already been played. We've already tried to do this. ... I do think that simply incarcerating our way out of this problem is not the solution. We tried that with crack, with cocaine, with crystal meth. Something else will be on the horizon, something else will come. There are root causes here. There are reasons people are turning to narcotics."

Orange County Board Chairman Don Wagner, a former assemblyman, said state lawmakers have been scaling back tougher penalties on crime for years.

"To my mind, the same thing we've been doing for 20 years is turning a blind eye to attempting to rehab our way out, slapping folks on the wrist and seeing the problems increase," Wagner said. "That's why it's time to do something different. ... Give us some penalties. Let's put some teeth in the law."

Supervisor Andrew Do, a former prosecutor, agreed with Wagner.

"We keep calling it symbolic," Do said of backing legislation unlikely to get approved. "Perhaps the most appropriate word is sanguine. We know we will not meet with success, but it doesn't mean it's symbolic. We are the voice of 3.2 million people. This is the venue we can express the position of the people of the county of Orange. ... We know the direction we've been in the last 20 years has not been productive. We've seen a tremendous rise in crime. We've seen people don't fear the police or being arrested or incarcerated because they'll be let out in hours."

Supervisor Katrina Foley said lawmakers "need to focus on prevention and helping people overcome whatever the underlying root causes (that lead them to) experiment with drugs. ... But I see the penalties on a parallel track."

Spitzer said that while he wants more tools to crack down on drug dealers, he noted that his office has also supported the collaborative court system that seeks to help rehabilitate drug addicts.

"We're also on the other side to try to rehabilitate people and get them on the right track, and this board is fully invested in that," Spitzer said.

Mayor Paul Cheng has proclaimed April 2 to be “Education and Sharing Day, Arcadia.” With a growing mental health crisis and a crisis of purpose among young people, Education and Sharing Day seeks to highlight the critical need for moral and ethical education.

Mayor Cheng presented this year’s Education and Sharing Day proclamation to representatives of Chabad of Arcadia and the Greater San Gabriel Valley during the city council meeting on Tuesday, March 23.

Some programs encouraged nationwide on Education Day include a daily moment of silence at the beginning of a school day, when students can think and meditate about what their parents taught them, helping to focus them toward greater moral awareness; and the ARK (Acts of Random and Routine Kindness) initiative that encourages daily charitable giving and sharing.

“We reaffirm our commitment to offering quality education and teaching our youth about the values of kindness and compassion...