SANTA MONICA—On October 15, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) issued a press release confirming a shooting that took place at the Santa Monica College (SMC) Center for Media & Design (CMD) located at 1660 Stewart Street on Monday, October 14th at approximately 9:50 p.m. A SMC Custodial Manager was critically injured in the shooting.
SMPD, SMCPD, and the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) responded to a call of a shooting. They were able to render aid and secure the area expediently. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
The suspect, later identified as Davon Durrell Dean, 39, initially fled the scene and remained at large overnight. He was an SMC employee with an extensive criminal history including attempted murder in 2011, and assault with a deadly weapon in 2019, though he was never convicted of more than a misdemeanor.
The following came directly from the SMPD press release.
“Today, October 15th, at approximately 3:00 pm, officers with the Hawthorne Police Department, located the suspect’s vehicle near El Segundo Blvd. and Aviation Blvd.
After a short pursuit, a pursuit intervention technique was used to stop the suspect’s vehicle. Despite the efforts of the Hawthorne Police Department’s Crisis Negotiations Team, Durrell was found deceased inside his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Los Angeles County Coroner will be responding.
The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives are working to determine the full sequence of events leading to this tragedy. There are no known additional suspects involved and there is no ongoing threat to the public. “
“I am so proud of our detectives who worked tirelessly throughout the night in collaboration with our partners at the Santa Monica College Police Department to identify and locate the suspect in this tragic incident. Our officers’ commitment to the safety of the Santa Monica community is evident and remains paramount,” said Police Chief Batista.
By Sharon