Suspect Held In Hate Crime Slaying Of Girl, 14

Los Angeles police detectives have arrested a Latino suspect in the killing of a 14-year-old African American girl in what police say was a hate crime.

The girl, Cheryl Greene, was among four people struck in a shooting the afternoon of Dec. 15 in the 20600 block of South Harvard Boulevard. Two young Latino men approached the group, and one pulled a gun and fired several times before the pair fled. Two women and a man were wounded in the attack.

Los Angeles police have said graffiti in the area bearing the letters “NK” suggested that a local Latino gang with a reputation for racism had targeted blacks. Because of this, police have classified the case as a hate crime, although the circumstances are under investigation, said LAPD spokesman Lt. Paul Vernon.

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