Fed up with a recent rash of gang violence in South Los Angeles, Naima Smith gathered a group Saturday at a Baptist church on Hoover Street to talk about ways to bring peace to their neighborhood.
Smith, 32, a lifelong resident of South L.A., left the gathering feeling encouraged. Then her phone rang.
It was the pastor. There had just been another shooting, right outside the church. A man was dead.
The killing was part of a violent weekend in the LAPD's 77th Street Division in South Los Angeles. Seven shooting incidents Friday and Saturday left one dead and 11 wounded, prompting police to pull in more officers to help quell the violence.