Suspect arrested in fatal Hawthorne car-to-car shooting

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect was arrested Wednesday afternoon in connection with a car-to-car shooting that killed a single father in Hawthorne early in the morning. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department said Dante' Bay McNeil, 22, of Gardena was taken into custody and booked for murder. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail. The department said no further suspects were sought.

Azzaam Stallsworth was killed in the car-to-car shooting at about 1 a.m. on the 12600 block of Prairie Avenue. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

McNeil was arrested at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at a recording studio on the 4500 block of Marine Avenue in Lawndale. Sheriff's investigators are confident the suspect is the shooter. McNeil was determined to have had a prior relationship with the victim's girlfriend, who was a passenger inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Nathaniel Taylor, who identified himself as the victim's uncle, told Eyewitness News that his nephew was coming come from a late showing of a movie with his girlfriend when the shooting happened. Taylor said someone drove up to the couple's car and opened fire, striking his nephew. The girlfriend was not injured.

Rosa Castro, the mother of the victim's girlfriend, said the shooting woke her up.

"I thought I saw my daughter and I said, 'Oh my God, something happened to my daughter,'" said Rosa Castro, whose daughter was with Stallsworth during the incident. "She told me that her boyfriend got shot."

Friends and family members say the victim was a loving father to his young daughter.

"He was a good guy, took care of his daughter. He had a lot of charisma," said Deonte Woolridge, the victim's friend.

The motive for the shooting remains under investigation. Authorities said the suspect was driving a dark-colored vehicle.

The family released a statement: "We thank everyone for their blessings and condolences. At this time, we are grieving heavily and would just like our time and moment."

Anyone with information was asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.