Woman shot in home; police confirm May 10 homicide victim
on May 17, 2013
A 64-year-old woman was shot dead in her home late Wednesday night, according to Richmond Police Department officials. Bonita Todd, 64, was hospitalized after gunshots were fired from the street into her apartment on 20th Street near Espee Avenue at around 11 p.m. on May 15, said police spokesperson Det. Nicole Abetkov. Todd died later at the hospital.
The woman’s son, who is in his 40s, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Detectives believe he may have been the intended target, Abetkov said. Police don’t believe the shooting was gang-related, Abetkov said, and may have been connected to the son’s car repair business.
Officers responded to the scene after hearing gunshots and receiving calls from residents in the 100 block of 20th Street. The ShotSpotter system also registered gunshots.
Meanwhile, police confirmed the death of Richmond resident Juan Madrano Jr., 20, who died last week in an unrelated incident. Madrano was shot in the head while driving on Richmond Parkway just east of Giant Road last Friday, May 10. Witnesses called the police, and when paramedics arrived, Madrano was alert and speaking, Abetkov said, but he died later at the hospital.
A passenger in Madrano’s vehicle fled immediately, Abetkov said. Police have been unable to identify the passenger, and are asking the public for information. “If they know who that person was, we would really appreciate notification, because we need to talk to him,” Abetkov said. “He’s also a victim.”
Detectives have no leads or suspects in the case, Abetkov said, but believe it may have been gang-related.
Madrano and Todd are the tenth and eleventh homicide victims in Richmond this year. Ten of the crimes are being investigated by the Richmond Police Department, while one homicide is under the jurisdiction of the BART Police. Abetkov said no formal charges have been brought against anyone in any of the department’s homicide cases.
16 Comments
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I wonder if traffic checkpoints would help, if the City Council would allow that. Maybe design a protocol that only deals with public safety issues, so that it would be more politically acceptable.
I don’t think any bandaids like this would help. We have to follow the money. What’s keeping gangs in Richmond?
Here we go again. More murders, guns, guns, guns. No real gun restrictions or legislation. People feeling hopeless. Life is meaningless to them. Gangs go after each other in retaliation. It’s an endless cycle. It all starts at the top with the federal government. Sequestration does not stop violence or give people jobs.
Good news about Richmond is hardly ever reported. I’ve stated this over and over. Everyone thinks Richmond is the boogeyman city. Bad for business and values. Try to find some good news to write about, not just about murders.
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Cars speed up and down my street all day and night 35th
Street, never have anyone every pulled over. I have begged the police for help with this. Maybe a few speeding related stops would turn up some guns. Unfortunately the policing in Richmond is reactive as opposed to proactive.
Complaining to the City Council members might help. They put some restrictions on what the police can do, in the area of traffic stops and traffic safety checkpoints. It isn’t the fault of the police, in other words.
Traffic check points are for verifying drivers licenses, vehicle registration, proof of insurance and sobriety.
They are not for checking for weapons.
All the criteria for traffic checks points are put into law by the state legislature, so the Richmond City Council can not dictate what procedures the police department can or can not search for.
Regarding restrictions on firearms, there are thousands of local, state and federal laws on who can own, buy, sell, use , carry , what type, how much ammunition and what type a weapon can hold.
California has the most restricted guns laws in the country.
Do you really think any more laws that the criminals, who have already broken dozens of them, will make them stop and say, “oh now they are passing more laws, I better stop my activities, or I may get arrested?”
Why don’t you just come out and say it, you want to ban all private ownership of guns. Then that will solve it.
Oh yea, the criminals will surely turn in all their guns too.
Finally, what the heck does the so called sequestration have to do with anything? Both democrats and republicans voted for it and the president signed it.
And don’t forget, there was violence and no jobs long before the “sequestration.”
But what you may not have heard is that the so called budget cuts are a lie. The 2.5% supposed cut is just a reduction from the 5% budget increase over last years’ budget.
So in reality, there was a 2.5% actual INCREASE in the budget compared to last years budget.
Don’t trust me, do a search and read it for yourself.
If the feds can’t deal with an actual 2.5% increase in their spending, then they will never be able to get the deficit and total debt under control. The U.S. will be heading down the same road as Greece, Spain and other countries.
Bankruptcy.
Checkpoints are used all over the world when terrorism or violent crime gets out of control and threatens public safety. Checkpoints are the single most effective method known. Checkpoints have nothing to do with taking away legal weapons. I can’t even remember ever hearing about a criminal in Richmond using a legal weapon to commit a crime, they always use stolen or otherwise illegal weapons. The best chances of taking illegal weapons away from Richmond criminals are during traffic stops, when illegal weapons are often spotted in the vehicles of the criminals, and during searches of the residences of parolees. Law abiding citizens should have the right to possess weapons to protect themselves from Richmond criminals.
Ok,
Lets say the State and City approve putting up traffic checkpoints for illegal weapons. Please tell us how you would do it?
Where will they be, on what streets?
How long will they be there, a coupe hours, all day long or everyday for a year?
What vehicles will they search, only those of blacks, Hispanics, only the “young” or everyone?
Unless you put a wall around the whole city with only 1 or 2 entrances and exits, you will not be able to control what comes in or goes out of the city.
And even more impossible to control what goes on down every street in the city.
Richmond is not Beirut, Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, etc. As bad as you or others may think it is, it is not a war zone.
How many more lives to spill & get wasted for no reason w/orphaned children/family’s to mourn before the cops or city of richmond will do their job to protect the people?
I thought the justice system in the U.S is the most powerful among all nations, they even got Bin Laden for a piece of cake, why can’t they, in just a little un peaceful town of Richmond & Oakland? What a horrible place to live or even just to pass by, What a SHAME!
The cause of crime is poverty. The cause of poverty is economic distress. Richmond needs to lead the way and show the world what a city can be in the 21st century. It needs to create an environment that’s good for small business, and focuses on a thriving downtown whose jobs are needed to power the economic development of the outer lying areas. But it also needs to protect consumers, and make it easier for citizens to participate in government
I wonder if the Richmond City Mayor or Officials Ever talked or sensitive enough w/the killings around Richmond all the time, how could you guys sleep & eat inside your nice houses, drive nice cars, while people are killed/murdered just to satisfy one’s Evil’s idea? Before people believe that these gangs are protected by the city officials and the Cops themselves…for so many incident @1yr, there not even 1 has been solved or given justice as they deserved, SHAME ON YOU!!!!
The public needs to help the police by writing down the license plate numbers of criminals, or taking pictures of the criminals, when that can safely be done, then reporting the information to the police, which can be done anonymously. The tolerance of crime by some Richmond residents and the no-snitching mentality makes it impossible for the police to solve many crimes, since the police then have no information to go on. It isn’t the fault of the police, RPD does a superb job in a very difficult situation.
The cause of crime in Richmond is not poverty. The public needs to support the police, who are public servants, dedicated to making the community safer. For example, by writing down license plate numbers of vehicles used by criminals, or taking pictures of them when it can be done safely, and giving the information to the police, which can be done anonymously.
Traffic safety checkpoints are the most effective way of reducing violent street crime, they are easy to set up, we had them countless times in Richmond when I was a kid, and the community was safe to live in. But radical activists hate traffic checkpoints, exactly because they are so effective at reducing violent street crime.
You are right, 100% !
Police had cordoned off an area surrounding my house last night and had helicopters in the air searching for someone around S. 37th last night….I’m really tired of having to feel like I live in a dangerous area.
People need to support the police – I’ve met a lot of these officers and feel they do an excellent job. I’m glad the police force is growing, but it needs to do so more rapidly. And I think the police force here should be enormous….Giuliani NYC style. New York went from crime ridden to one of the safest cities on earth, and that is mostly all that changed.
And I do not care of there are vehicle check points….check cars at random and just talk to everyone…make a presence know. I’d throw tons of money at the K9 unit as well so we can track down those who run.
New gun laws will do nothing – it’s a simple answer for simple minds. As someone who came here from Alaska where anybody can own any weapon they want, and nearly everyone does, I soundly believe in allowing for concealed carry by all willing and abled citizens. Gun crimes against people and property was nothing like it is here….Anchorage had 3 homicides last year…we’re up to 11 in 6 months. People here shoot guns without fear of repercussion…they might, at the least, think twice if everyone around may shoot back. : / Everyone was much better behaved up there too….just sayin.’
Finally, what somehow has to happen is that people need to stop harboring criminals and report them! Someone knows everyone involved in one of these violent crimes, but obviously doesn’t say anything as evident by the # of homicides that go cold. I think it’s cultural….don’t know how to change that – but people need to have avenues to rat people out, receive a reward for doing so, and not have to fear repercussions – Positive reinforcement training 101.
That’s what I think!