Richard Emil Mejia, a 34-year-old Latino man, was fatally shot on October 5, 2018, in Historic South-Central Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County coroner’s records list his death as a gunshot fatality; it was recorded later that month. The shooting is presented as part of a wider pattern of violence affecting the neighborhood.

Investigators opened a criminal inquiry into the circumstances and sought evidence and witness accounts. Subsequent court proceedings described convictions for second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and carjacking; the jury also found true gang and firearm allegations. These outcomes were part of the legal response following the shooting.