Two More Suspects Arrested in Shooting Death of Church Elder

Two more alleged street gang members were arrested Tuesday as suspects in the slaying of David Eugene Thompson, a Tustin church eldera who was shot in a South-Central Los Angeles telephone booth during a robbery last week.

A 16-year-old youth has been in custody since Sunday and has been referred to Juvenile Court.

Detectives Tuesday arrested Tracy Carter, 18, at his South-Central Los Angeles home. Detectives also went to the home of Todd Lavera, 22, and told his mother they wanted to talk to him about the killing. He surrendered at the Newton station about noon.

Detectives said Carter and Lavera were booked on suspicion of murder.

Thompson, 27, who was attempting to telephone for help for a disabled church bus, was robbed of $30 and shot in the head at Slauson Avenue and Broadway just before midnight Thursday as his wife looked on.

Namora Thompson, 38, told police three armed young men accosted them, shot her husband, took $10 from her purse, pushed her out of the Thompsons’ car and sped away in it.

Thompson worked as a mail carrier in Santa Ana and was an elder at Greater Zion Apostolic Church there. He was the father of two sons, David, 3, and Michael, 2.

His wife said he was praying as he was shot to death. Police found him crumpled on the floor of the gasoline station telephone booth.

Lt. Charles Massey said all three suspects are members of the Hoover Crips street gang.

Massey said his detectives spent more than 60 hours tracking leads in the case. “They went out and pounded the pavement and talked to people,” he said, “and began coming up with the same names.”