Prayer Services, Vigil To Be Held In Honor Of University City Shooting Victim

FOUR WOMEN THROUGH BEEN SHOT ON SUNDAY AT THE POOLSIDE BIRTHDAY PARTY IN UNIVERSITY CITY. THE SHOOTER WAS A WHITE MAN AND FIVE OF THE -- HIS VICTIMS WERE BLACK AND I WAS LATINO I WAS WHITE AND HERE IS WHAT SHELLEY ZIMMERMAN SAID AT A NEWS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY. IS ZERO INFORMATION TO INDICATE THAT RACE PLAYED A FACTOR IN THIS TERRIBLE AND HORRIFIC CRIME. THE VICTIMS WERE TARGETED FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THE MERE PRESENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THE SUSPECT. THIS MORNING MEMBERS OF A CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION AND LOCALLY -- RELIGIOUS LEADERS MET THING THEY FEEL AUTHORITIES RUSHED TO JUDGMENT IN DETERMINING IT WASN'T RACIALLY MOTIVATED. SHANE HARRIS OF THE SAN DIEGO CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION. WE ARE DEALING WITH THE CLIMATE OF RACIAL TENSION AND FOR US TO ANALYZE SOMETHING IN 24 HOURS AND SAY WE FOUND NO -- PROBABLE CAUSE THAT THERE WAS RACIAL TENSIONS OR HATRED INVOLVED I THINK IT'S EGREGIOUS AT BEST. I THINK THAT IT CLEARLY DEFINES THE CONTINUED EFFORTS THAT WE MUST CONTINUE TO RAISE THIS PROBE. KPBS REPORTER SUSAN MURPHY WAS THERE UNTIL JUST NOW. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. HELLO, ALLISON. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AND WHO WAS AT THE CONFERENCE AND WHO SPOKE? THIS WAS ORGANIZED BY THE NATIONAL NETWORK ORGANIZED BY AL SHARPTON AND THE REVEREND SHANE HARRIS AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE AFFILIATED WITH HIM AND IT'S A CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION. BASICALLY THEY WERE HAVING THE NEWS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING TO EXPRESS THAT THEY ARE HERE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY AND THEY SAID IT'S THEIR JOB TO ALLOW THE LIGHT TO BE ILLUMINATED. AS YOU JUST HEARD REVEREND HARRIS SAY HE FEELS THERE WAS A RUSH TO JUDGMENT BY THE POLICE AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THEY WANT FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND THEY WANT A THOROUGH PROBING INTO THIS INCIDENT DECEIT IF RACE WAS A MOTIVE. YOU SAID THEY WERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY. WERE THEY SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS? THEY HAD NOT SPOKEN TO ANY FAMILY MEMBERS YET THEY HAVE REACHED OUT BUT HAD NOT BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM. THEY HAD ALSO NOT MITIGATED WITH POLICE AND THEY REACHED OUT TO POLICE THAT THEY HAD NOT TALKED TO LISA DIRECTLY. YOU SPOKE TO POLICE THIS MORNING -- TALKED TO POLICE DIRECTLY. YOU TALKED TO POLICE THIS MORNING. WHY DO THEY THINK THEY THINK IT'S AN ISSUE? WHEN POLICE CHIEF ZIMMERMAN MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY AND WE HEARD THE CLIP FROM THE CHIEF THAT THE DOOR HAD NOT BEEN CLOSED AND THE INVESTIGATION IS CONTINUING AND THAT IT WILL TAKE QUITE A LENGTH OF TIME FOR ALL OF THE EVIDENCE TO BE COLLECT AND TO BE GONE THROUGH THOROUGHLY. THIS INVESTIGATION CONTINUES AND THEY SAID THE SHOOTER HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE, IT SEEMED TO BE HE WAS DESPONDENT OVER RECENT BREAKUP AND IT FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO THOSE BIG LIFE EVENTS SEEMED TO HAVE PLAY -- PLAYED A ROLL IN THE MOTIVE. AND AS OF YET THEY HAVE NOT FOUND ANY RACIALLY MOTIVATED TIES. YOU SPOKE WITH THE WOMAN YESTERDAY, LIZETTE, WHO TALKED ABOUT WHAT SHE SAW IN THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID. HE DID SHOOT AT OF WHITE FEMALE AND THAT'S BECAUSE SHE WAS TRYING TO COME IN AND HELP THE FEET -- THE WOUNDED. HE SHOT AT HER BUT DID NOT WOUND HER. THE ONES THAT WERE WOUNDED THAT I SOFTBALL TO THE GROUND WHERE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND MEXICAN PEOPLE AND ON MEXICAN MYSELF BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN TELL BY LOOKING AT ME SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS RACIAL OR NOT BUT IT IS AWFULLY COINCIDENTAL. THAT WAS LIZETTE WHO WITNESSED THE SHOOTING AND IN FACT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS YOU DID ASK THE REVEREND HARRIS WAS THAT THERE WAS ONE WHITE WOMAN WAS SHOT AS WELL AND WHAT WAS HIS REACTION TO THAT AND HIS RESPONSE? HE SAID IT WAS HARD TO TELL IF SHE WAS SHOT AT AND HE REALLY INTENDED TO SHOOT HER. HE SAID AN INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO CONTINUE BUT HE DID NOT ELABORATE ON THAT. HE FEELS THAT THERE IS RACIAL MOTIVE HERE. HE SAID THE FACT THAT THE GUNMEN CAME INTO THE POOL AREA SAT DOWN AND CALCULATED EXACTLY WHO WAS PRESENT FOR A GOOD HALF HOUR IS SUSPICIOUS DID NOT ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT HE IS ASKING WOULD BE FAIR -- UNFAIR TO THE COMMUNITY. AND YOU'VE SPOKEN TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW THEY PERCEIVE THE ROLL OF RACE IN THE SHOOTING AND OF COURSE PERCEPTION IS IMPORTANT. WHAT WE ARE HEARING? I WAS HEARING A MIX AND WE HEARD FROM LIZETTE WHO WAS IN THE POOL AND THERE AND OTHER PEOPLE SAID THAT IT IS SUCH A DIVERSE COMMUNITY AND THAT COMPLEX AND SUCH A MIX OF SO MANY DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES BUT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY RACIAL PROBLEMS BEFORE THAT HAVE BEEN EVIDENT IN THAT COMPLEX. AND THAT THEY WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THAT DID TURN OUT TO BE THE OUTCOME. WHAT DID SHANE HARRIS SAID -- SAY HIS GROUP WANTS SPECIFICALLY? HE JUST WANTS TO HAVE AN OPEN DIALOGUE. HE WANTS A FURTHER INVESTIGATION. AND HE WANTS TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO RESOLVE THIS BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS PROBED AND THAT THE TENSIONS ARE DEFINED. THINK YOU VERY MUCH.