Anna Perez was 24 when she was killed in Long Beach, California, in the early morning hours of December 1, 2018. She was an innocent bystander in a parking lot near 4th Street and Pacific Avenue when gunfire erupted during a confrontation between two groups. A bullet struck Perez in the torso and she died at the scene.

Detectives quickly focused on 42-year-old Thomas McCreary of Sylmar after witnesses said the shooter retrieved a gun from a car and fled in a sedan. McCreary, who was on parole and had a prior conviction for first-degree residential burglary in 2007, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and later convicted, with the jury also finding him a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors introduced evidence that included recorded jailhouse calls about the gun; a woman identified as Samantha Kidd was convicted of accessory after the fact for helping dispose of the weapon.

Perez’s family described her as vibrant and joyful, and her mother, Brenda Colon, spoke of relief after the verdict. What details about the shooting or its aftermath might others from Long Beach be able to add?