Terrance Eugene Reliford

Terrance Eugene Reliford was 28 years old when he died on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001, in Inglewood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at Florence Avenue and La Brea Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as an Inglewood Police Department case.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 28-year-old black male" who "died Sunday, Feb. 11, after being stabbed in Inglewood." It gave no other details about what happened. Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Terrance Eugene Reliford has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. Reliford is not a common surname, but searches for it turned up only other people, including relatives named in obituaries in other states and men who are still living.

Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.

The coroner listed an intersection rather than a street address. That suggests he may have been found outdoors, on a sidewalk or near the street, rather than inside a home or business, although the record does not say so directly. Florence and La Brea are two of the busiest streets in Inglewood, and on a Sunday the corner would have seen steady traffic, which means drivers, bus riders or people at nearby businesses may have seen or heard something.

Inglewood is a city of about 100,000 people southwest of downtown Los Angeles, a few miles east of Los Angeles International Airport. For decades it has been a center of Black life in Los Angeles County, home to many working and middle-class families, churches and small businesses. In 2001 it was best known as the former home of the Lakers and Kings at the Forum, and it has its own police department, which investigates killings within the city limits. Florence Avenue and La Brea Avenue meet near the city's older commercial core, among shops, restaurants and apartment buildings.

Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Terrance Eugene Reliford could be found in news archives or public records. More than 24 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Florence Avenue and La Brea Avenue in Inglewood on or around Feb. 11, 2001, or who knew Terrance and the people around him at the time, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Inglewood Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).