Five people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a 21-year-old woman in Long Beach last year, police said Saturday.
Investigators believe Rodney Scott, 22, is responsible for the killing on June 28, 2018, when officers were dispatched to the scene in the 1100 block of Via Wanda just after midnight, according to police.
The victim, Imani Keith, had been shot in the upper torso and was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, police said. She died later in the afternoon.
On Thursday, Scott was transported from the California Correction Center in Susanville to the Long Beach City Jail, police said. He also faces allegations of residential burglary and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and is being held on $2 million bail.
The following day, police arrested four other people in connection with Keith’s killing.
David Thomas, 24, was booked on suspicion of being involved in the same residential burglary Scott was part of, police said. He is being held on $50,000 bail.
The other three people are believed to have knowledge of the slaying and assisted Scott in trying to avoid prosecution, according to police. Richard Scott, 21; Christina Collier, 23; and Dana Moore, 49, were all booked on suspicion of accessory after the fact and are being held on $1 million bail, according to police.
Moore is also accused of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
Upon arresting the suspects, authorities served search warrants at several homes and recovered five firearms, according to police.
“Detectives believe Rodney Scott, David Thomas, and victim Keith were known to each other, and the shooting was the result of a dispute between them,” police said in a news release.
No other details have been released.