DOWNTOWN L.A. — The family of a Santa Monica man who was shot and killed here just weeks before he was to graduate Cal State Northridge are asking for the public’s help in identifying the killer, hosting a rally at the murder scene Sunday in hopes that someone will come forward with more information about the crime.
Clifton Hibbert, Jr., 22, a graduate of Santa Monica High School, was fatally shot along with 23-year-old Kenneth Patterson, Jr. on March 29, 2008 in the 4300 block of Figueroa Street. Family said the friends came to South L.A. from Northridge to stay with friends and were shot in the head.
Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the murders.
A $75,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed the two men. Police said the men may have been robbery victims, according to previous reports. There were no suspect descriptions provided and no weapons were recovered at the scene, police said after the shooting.
Hibbert’s sister, Ayanna Parker, said her brother was studying law with hopes of becoming a civil attorney. Family and friends are organizing the “Justice Walk” to empower the community and raise awareness about the murders. The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. near 4207 S. Figueroa St.
“No one has come forward,” Parker said. “People may not be aware or they might be scared to speak.”
Hibbert’s mother, Donna Brown, told the Los Angeles City Council in April 2008 when it approved the reward that she always encouraged her son to “make a difference in life.”
“I prayed every day that God would keep him safe and that he would stay focused on school,” Brown said.
Anyone with information was asked to call detectives in the LAPD’s Southwest Division at (213) 485-6571 or (877) LAWFULL.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
