Six teens, including 14-year-old shooter, now charged in Pomona double slaying

POMONA -- Looking too young to shave, a 14-year-old Pomona boy made his first court appearance this afternoon for allegedly shooting and killing two teens at a local park.

Denzel Isaiah Omar is one of six suspects -- all 17 or younger -- charged as adults and potentially facing life in prison without the possibility of parole for allegedly attacking a group of gang rivals Jan. 29 at Ted Greene Park in Pomona.

Prosecutors accuse Denzel Omar of firing 13 times with a .22-caliber rifle during the incident at Orange Grove and La Verne avenues, according to Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd.

"I don't know what specifically sparked it," Dodd said. "It's Bloods versus Crips."

The two people killed in the shooting were Timmy Moore, 17, and Prithesh Dunn, 15. A 16-year-old boy was shot and injured.

Rounding out the six suspects are five teens from Pomona. They include:

-- Dayveon Thomas, 17, who was arrested the day of the shooting after police found him hiding behind a home near the park.

-- Devin Adel Omar, 16, brother of Denzel Omar. The brothers were arrested by Pomona police Tuesday in Canyon Country.

-- Johnny Moore, 16, was arrested Thursday.

-- Davontay Jenkins, 16, was arrested Thursday.

-- Samuel Boyd, 16, was charged by prosecutors today but has not been arrested, said Pomona police Sgt. Marcus Perez.

All six defendants are charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

The Omar brothers, Moore and Jenkins were all wearing orange jail scrubs during a brief arraignment hearing today in Pomona Superior Court.

None of the suspects entered a plea during the hearing, and the suspects spoke only when waiving their right to a speedy arraignment.

As soon as he was brought into the courtroom, Jenkins began mouthing words to a family member in the audience, asking where his lawyer was. All four defendants were represented by court-appointed attorneys.

The arraignment was postponed to Feb. 24, and all four suspects were ordered held without bail.

Supporters of the Omar brothers in the courtroom audience declined to comment to a reporter.

Perez called the killings senseless, and said "it doesn't take too much to ignite hostilities" between the traditionally rival gangs.

It's not uncommon for gang members to be as young as 14, Perez said, but younger gang members typically commit what Perez called "gateway crimes" such as stealing cars and vandalizing before they become violent.

Shootings are normally carried out by older gang members, usually between 16 and 25 years old, Perez said.

"They're very young in this incident," Perez said.

Perez said the investigation into the killings was initially chaotic, but detectives eventually got some good leads helping them to identify the suspects.

"Initially we had one of our gang detectives detain one of the suspects and that led to some crucial information, as well as numerous citizens calling in and furnishing additional information," Perez said.