Toko Tasi, a 45-year-old musician from Long Beach, California, was shot and killed on August 10, 2019. Tasi, known for collaborations with bands like Sublime and Slightly Stoopid, was at a gathering in the PBS Pub and Company beer garden when an argument with childhood acquaintance Thomas Neri Arellaga Jr. escalated. The two had a second confrontation in the parking lot of the Hungry Horse Drive-In, where Arellaga shot Tasi twice in the upper body. Emergency personnel pronounced Tasi dead at the scene.

Arellaga fled on foot and was later located a few days afterward at a residence in Hesperia, where he and a woman identified as Lorna Clemena were arrested. Arellaga was charged with voluntary manslaughter; Clemena was charged as an accessory after the fact. Court proceedings resulted in plea agreements and prison and monitoring sentences. Judge Laura Laesecke cited victim impact statements describing the deep pain suffered by Tasi’s family and friends. The exact cause of the initial argument between Tasi and Arellaga remains unclear.

If anyone knew Toko, saw him that night, or has information about what sparked the dispute, please share what you know.