Thursday, February 27, 2020

Altadena Shooting Victim Identified

By KEVIN KENNEY, Senior Reporter

Two views from near the scene of the fatal shooting of an Altadena man on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Images courtesy LASD

The 45-year-old man shot and killed as he drove along an Altadena street on Feb. 16 has been identified, but his killer, as well as the motive behind the shooting, remain unknown, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department told Pasadena Now on Wednesday.

The L.A. County Coroner identified the man as Tracy LeBlue of Altadena. The coroner’s report said he died of gunshot wounds to the chest and neck.

According to Pasadena Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. William Grisafe, LeBlue was arrested on felony drug charges in 2018 and 2019.

LeBlue also was arrested on a pair of misdemeanor driving matters in Pasadena in 2017, Grisafe said.

One other connection LeBlue had to Pasadena was of a more routine nature – he received a $1,325 payout from the city in 2019 to cover damage his vehicle suffered when it hit a pothole, the city’s public information officer, Lisa Derderian, said Wednesday.

As best as police can piece together for now, LeBlue was driving along Canyada Avenue near Figueroa Drive around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, when multiple shots were fired at his vehicle.

Lt. Alex Canchola of the Sheriff’s Department’s Altadena station told Pasadena Now it was still unknown if the shooter was in another vehicle or on foot. The Sheriff’s Department’s homicide division is still investigating, Canchola said.

“They have some leads they’re working on,’’ Canchola said.

Last week, Canchola advised the Altadena Town Council that the victim appeared to have been targeted, rather the victim of a random act.

Canchola also said his station’s gang unit is not classifying LeBlue’s death as gang-related. The area where the shooting took place is not known for gang activity, Canchola said.

“It’s still under investigation – it might be that (gang-related), it might be a love triangle, it could be a business dispute, at this point it’s completely unknown,’’ Canchola said. “There’s no clear motive.”

Canchola also said that LeBlue’s age – 45 – would lead him to believe this was not a gang-related matter.

As Canchola told the Altadena Council last week, “On (Feb. 16), at approximately 1 o’clock, our station received a call of shots fired and a person down in the 500 block of Figueroa. Upon arrival, we found a single male (meaning, alone) suffering from a gunshot wound. The Fire Department responded, transported him immediately to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.’’

According to one report, LeBlue drove about a block and a half before stopping in the 500 block of Figueroa, with a resident attempting to treat him while waiting for first responders.

As deputies were investigating the scene in the 500 block of Figueroa, evidence led them to a house a few blocks away, in the 2300 block of Canyada, where the incident may have begun, Canchola said.

“While the deputies were containing the area, they discovered that there was some possible evidence from where the origin of this shooting occurred, which was about two blocks south of Figueroa, and that would have been the 2300 block of Canyada,’’ Canchola said.

Canchola said that “at least two people were questioned’’ at the possible origin site, but that no arrests were made.

“There (was) a great deal of physical evidence in and around the area which is being investigated now, and there’s also other information that we’re following up on, on various leads,’’ Canchola said.