Friends say 30-year-old Stacey Garcia Gray of Los Angeles had just dropped off her husband at his second job and was returning home to her three young girls when she was killed.
It all stemmed from a shooting in the 100 block of East Indigo Street. Witnesses told investigators the suspect's vehicle was a red Pontiac sedan, possibly a Grand Prix.
At about 12:30 a.m., deputies spotted a Grand Prix and conducted a traffic stop. When the deputies stepped out of their patrol car, the vehicle sped away.
Deputies chased the Grand Prix westbound on Greenleaf Boulevard. The vehicle blew through a red light and struck a Chevrolet Monte Carlo traveling northbound on Wilmington Avenue. The force of the crash flipped the Grand Prix, which crashed into an iron gate and erupted in flames.
"It sounded like something exploded," said Le Barron Yates, a witness.
Three people in the Grand Prix were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was identified by family members as 20-year-old Shawnice Osborne, and one of the passengers was identified by family as 35-year-old Larry Gilmore. A coroner will need to use dental records to officially identify the suspects.
"It wasn't like her to run, so I don't really know what happened," said Nadine Starks, the suspect's grandmother.
The Monte Carlo slammed into a power pole, trapping Gray inside. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
"We were just making plans for her birthday party next weekend. She just bought her shoes," said Shameka Smith, a friend.
Authorities say the shooting, pursuit and crash remain under investigation. If you have any information about this incident, you're urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Compton Station at (310) 605-6500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
