Welcome to Hood Politics. In this episode, I will be discussing the story of Oscar Duncan. The facts of the case are as follows. When most people think of Venice, California, they picture Sunshine, the beach, the world famous boardwalk, the canals, and the restaurants and stores that sit on Apikini Boulevard.
But Venice has a dark side. One that local politicians and law enforcement try to keep secret in an effort not to disrupt the tourist dollars. But every now and then, the darkness rears its head. A young man is dead and a woman has been seriously injured after they were apparently chased down by a shooter through a Venice neighborhood.
It all ended when the victims crashed their car. We’re also following breaking news in Venice. Two people were shot and killed outside a CVS. The LAPD says the gunfire rang out around 9:15 last night in the parking lot on Lincoln Boulevard near Commonwealth Avenue. Police are looking for a male suspect.
And developing news tonight in Venice, a deadly shooting on Broadway and Fifth. The police say a man in his 20s was shot and killed this afternoon. They say the shooter took off in a car. Investigators are now looking for the suspect or possibly suspects. Carlos, thank you. One man is dead after a shooting at a dog park in Venice.
It happened around 10:30 last night at Westminster Dog Park on Pacific Avenue near Westminster Avenue. Police say the unidentified man was found unresponsive in the parking lot. He was declared dead at the scene. The family telling us he is only 18 years old, described as a good kid. Joining me now live, Lieutenant John Ratkkey with LAPD homicide investigating what is now three crime scenes, at least 15 shots fired.
Lieutenant, tell us how this all starts. So about 2:36 this morning, LAPD Pacific officers responded out to the area of Six and Brooks on a call of shots fired. Uh while they were still responding to the call, additional callers came uh called in and said that there was a shooting victim down in a car. Good morning.
LAPD saying that the couple was visiting Southern California from Florida and they were all targeted, robbed at gunpoint by a group of suspects who were all wearing ski mask here near Venice Beach. This of course bringing much concern for residents and tourists. The Venice shoreline cribs have called Venice home for over 50 years.
They originated in the Oakwood area and over time they developed a reputation for violence and created a long list of enemies. One being the Playboy gangster cribs. The Playboys originated in West LA and claimed the area around Corning Street. For decades, the Shorelines and the Playboys have been at war.
This feud has resulted in numerous shootings and multiple murders. And sadly, it’s not uncommon for innocent people to be caught in the middle. On Monday, June 4th, 2012, at around 10:30 p.m., a man named Oscar Duncan and his girlfriend MJ were arriving home after having dinner. The home was located on Santa Clara Avenue, deep in Shoreline territory.
Oscar parked the car and continued to sit inside while MJ got out the car and walked towards the house. Moments later, a man inside of a white Lexus began yelling at her. He said, “Hey, sexy. Hey, bitch.” MJ ignored him and continued walking. At the same time, Oscar got out his car and started walking towards the house.
Another man in the Lexus yelled, “Show crip.” Oscar walked to the car and said he didn’t bang. Moments later, one of the men raised the gun, pointed it at Oscar’s head, and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, and the Lexus sped away. 911 was called, and Oscar was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 23 years old.
Oscar was a beloved member of the community and a devout Christian. He was raised in Venice and spent his childhood playing sports at Oakwood Park for the Venice Bulldogs. He attended Broadway Elementary School. Mark Twain Middle School and Venice High School, where he was crowned homecoming king. He was also the captain of the football team and led the Gondelers to numerous victories before graduating in 2006.
The team’s coach, Angelo Gasa, said that Oscar was one of the best kids that he’s ever known. He stated, “He’s one of my favorite players at Venice High School, and I went to Venice High School. I would have loved to have him as a teammate. I feel blessed that I was his coach and got to know him. If you knew him, the three things he emphasized were God, music, and Venice.
And I think in that order, those were the things important in his life. I knew it meant a lot to him to be a part of our program and play football at Venice High School, and it meant so much to me to have him do it, he continued. We have to find a way to make the streets and our city and, I guess, the whole world a safer place for our kids.
If this could happen to someone like Oscar, who did everything right, it could happen to any of us. And that’s not a very good thought to be thinking. Oscar worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Venice, where he had been a member since 6 years old. Oscar was loved by everyone at the club. The club’s executive director, Eric Aldridge, stated, “Oscar is hands down the most influential employee here at our club. Everyone knows him.
He grew up in this community.” Shortly before his death, Oscar received his 5 years of service pen from the Boys and Girls Club of America. He also earned a promotion and was set to start working full-time in the teen services department as a career counselor and mentor. One of his goals was to create a gang prevention program.
thing that I remember and and will definitely miss the most about Oscar is the fact that one we started working here officially at the club in 2006 the same year and the other thing is every day when he clocked in here on the third floor he would stop by my office and give it a thumbs up and say hey what’s up E and you know with that little simple gesture I just knew everything was going to be okay I remember when I first met Oscar um that big smile running around a club laughing and dancing and seeing all the transaction how he started being more and more involved in the club. Like he’s so talented like sing, he could dance, he could act, he can write, he can engineer m music, he can you know direct, he could do everything. You just I’m expecting him to be the next Quincy Jonesesque type person, you know.
like to affect the world in so many ways. Along with his passion for God and the community, Oscar loved music. He was a talented singer and went by the name Choir Boy due to his love for church and his love for singing. His style was a fusion between gospel, hip hop, R&B, and soul. I’m falling home to hear me call.
I’m going down, but this don’t feel like falling. So I heart to heart. Grab my hand and show me that your love is still at hand. So leave me a hand in hand be the key to unlock me. Listen to my heart. It sings. Love is got the best of me. And this love is set me free. Oh set me free. Yeah. Oh.
What’s up y’all? You know what I’m saying? How y’all doing out there? It’s your boy Choir Boy. Hello America. How y’all doing man? Music was his outlet and he knew that if it helped him, it could help others. So in 2007 he launched an audio engineering program at the Boys and Girls Club with the help of producer and engineer Scott Lynn.
Scott worked with groups like REMM, Nirvana, Incubis and numerous others. Oscar recruited students from elementary school through high school and taught them how to run the soundboard and record music. Oscar was also the president of a group called Young urban leaders in Venice and he was a dance instructor for the performing arts organization pies which is an acronym for positive images of self-expression.
Although he had a lot on his plate, Oscar always kept God first. He enjoyed speaking the word but he loved praising through dancing and singing. He was a member of the choir at Paradise Baptist Church in LA. Later he joined Faithful Central Bible Church in Englewood and worked with Takeover Youth Ministries.
The group was led by Kirk Franklin, Davin Batist, and Ka Lawrence. Its focus was to reach a younger crowd by doing things that appeal to them directly, such as having a live DJ instead of an organ player and encouraging attendees to wear their everyday clothes instead of suits and dresses. Takeover Ministries was shown in a 2008 episode of the TV show Baldwin Hills.
Oscar could be seen talking to one of the cast members, Justin, about his relationship with his father in trouble with the law. Oscar was a huge part of Takeover and could always be seen on stage preaching the word, performing a song, or dancing. Oscar was also a part of a ministry called Slaughterhouse.
The group was led by a man named Jason Green. Jason was a crump dancer and was featured in the Crump documentary Rise and went by the nickname Dragon. He later got into church, changed his name to Slayer, and began using crumping as a form of praise dancing. The two bonded over their love for God and crumping, and Jason became one of Oscar’s mentors and helped him walk within his purpose.
Oscar was also a member of Greater Zion Church in Compton, where he was a youth pastor and oversaw 1500 youths. After his death, Greater Zion hosted a peace march in his memory. Oscar also founded a movement called Jesus over everything or Joey for short. It was what he preached and lived by and it was a rallying call to guide people towards Jesus Christ.
A few days after Oscar’s murder, investigators announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest, and the tips began pouring in. On Friday, June 8th, investigators arrested a 28-year-old Playboy [ __ ] named Kevin Green, also known as Baby Skull, and charged him with Oscar’s murder.
They believed he was driving the Lexus during the shooting. Kevin was also charged with the unrelated robbery. On Monday, May 21st, 2012, at about 11:15 p.m., a man named LC and his girlfriend MS were walking home from a liquor store when they were approached by two men. One of the men asked LC where he was from and flashed a gun.
The man then said, “Well, this is for Playboys.” And started hitting LC. The other man also began hitting him and LC was knocked unconscious. They then took his cell phone, money, keys, and a knife. MS identified Kevin as one of the robbers and picked his picture from a photographic lineup.
Officers executed a search warrant on Kevin’s apartment and found LC’s cell phone. Also, he had been wearing an ankle monitor on the night of the robbery, and his location placed him at the scene. Investigators also arrested an 18-year-old member of the Marvin Gangster cribs named Nicole Sharan and charged her with Oscar’s murder.
They believed she was in the backseat of the Lexus during the shooting. Investigators also arrested a 22-year-old Playboy [ __ ] named Hopton Parsley, also known as Infant Skull, and charged him with Oscar’s murder. They believed he was the shooter. Detectives also believed that he was with Kevin during the robbery, but they had no proof, so he wasn’t charged in that case.
All of the suspects plead not guilty. Oscar’s funeral was held on Friday, June 15th, at the First Baptist Church of Venice. Around 1,000 people attended the service, and the crowd overflowed into the street. A row of pictures commemorating Oscar’s life set at the front of the church and in the middle was his casket which was adorned with white flowers and a Jesus over everything t-shirt.
The service featured scripture readings, praise dancing, and singing. Pastors from all over spoke about Oscar and his love of God. Oscar’s family and friends took to the stage and shared memories of him and thanked everyone for attending. Eric from the Boys and Girls Club also took to the stage and spoke about how good of a person Oscar was and how everyone at the club loves and misses him.
He stated, “Every young person that he touched, he left a special imprint on all of them.” Eric then unbuttoned his shirt and revealed a Superman shirt in memory of Oscar because sometimes he would wear a Superman costume to the Boys and Girls Club and to church events. Eric closed by saying that Oscar was Superman for everybody.
During the service, Oscar’s cousin Len read an essay that Oscar had written for English class when he was 13 years old. The essay was titled Fate. It read in part, “Sometimes I wonder how my life is going to turn out. What is my fate? I want to know if my fate is to die young or old. No matter what, people don’t know their fate, and I am one of those people.
” The essay was dated June 4th, 2002, exactly 10 years to the date of his death. On Monday, June 18th, the Boys and Girls Club hosted a celebration in memory of Oscar. People from all over the community showed up to support. They listened to Oscar’s music, watched his videos, and shared memories of him. At just 23 years old, Oscar had already affected so many lives, and there’s no telling how many others he could have helped.
One of the saddest things about his story is that he would have been willing to help the people that killed him. In April of 2014, Nicole made a deal with the district attorney’s office in exchange for her testimony against Kevin and Hopton. She was able to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The trial began in early 2015.
The prosecutor in the case, Eugene Henrahan, painted Kevin and Hopton as coldblooded killers with no regard for human life. He said, “Anyone willing to kill someone just because they felt like it should spend the rest of their lives behind bars.” Henry called numerous witnesses to the stand.
One was a Playboy [ __ ] named James, who went by the nickname Whitt. He had been a Playboy for 10 years and was good friends with the suspects. He testified that in the days following the murder, Kevin and Hopton each told him about the shooting on separate occasions. Kevin said he was driving. When the group saw MJ and Oscar, they tried to talk to MJ and bang Shoreline [ __ ] on Oscar.
And once he walked up to the car, Hopton shot him. James said Hopton told him that after the group yelled out Shoreline [ __ ] Oscar said that he didn’t bang. Many were confused at the fact that a group of gang members would yell out their rivals name, but Hanahan told the court that it’s a normal occurrence during gang warfare.
He said the tactic is used to put rivals at ease and draw them in. There are plenty of documented instances of gang members putting on rival gang colors and then venturing into rival territory. They would even use the rivals lingo and hand signs all in an effort to lure an enemy to their death. Oscar’s girlfriend MJ took the stand and said that Hopton looked similar to the shooter and she also identified a picture of Kevin’s Lexus as the vehicle used in the murder.
Kevin’s girlfriend Britney also took the stand. She said Kevin was a gang member but admitted that she never saw him committing crimes. She told the court that she owned a white Lexus and Kevin drove it often. She said on the day of the shooting, Kevin and Hopton dropped her off at her apartment and took the car for the rest of the night.
Nicole was the prosecution star witness. She testified that on the night of the shooting, Kevin and Hopton were in the driver and passenger seats of the Lexus while she and her boyfriend Kershan were in the back seat. She said Kevin and Hopton were Playboy gangster cribs and she and Kersan were Marvin Gangster cribs.
The Playboys and Marvin are longtime allies and go by Playboy Marvin or PMGC as a combination of the two gangs. They shared the same allies and the same enemies, one being the Venice Shoreline Cribs. Nicole said the group turned on to Santa Clara Avenue and parked the car. Moments later, they saw MJ walk into the house and Kevin yelled, “Hey, sexy.
Hey [ __ ] He then asked Hopton if he had the gun. A few seconds later, Oscar walked towards the house and Hopton yelled, “Shorine crib.” Oscar approached the car and denied any gang affiliation. Hoped and then opened fire, hitting Oscar in the head. The Lexus sped away and the group celebrated the shooting.
Later, Kevin saw blood on the car and used his shoe to smear it. Nicole says she didn’t know Hopton would shoot Oscar, but she did admit that the group traveled to Venice looking for rival gang members. Shortly after the shooting, witnesses reported seeing a white car traveling down Clemson Street. Someone in the car yelled, “Playboy gangster,” and opened fire on a group of apartments.
A witness named Ja said that Hopton had fought someone living in those apartments a few days prior. No one was charged with the shooting, but the prosecution felt that it displayed the violent nature of the group. The defense attorney during the trial was a woman named Nancy Spurber. Spurber told the court that the prosecution’s witnesses weren’t credible.
She said James was a felon with a long grab sheet and he received relocation expenses and had his rent and food paid for in exchange for his testimony. She said no one was there to confirm the alleged conversations he had with Kevin and Hopton. So there’s no real proof that they ever took place.
Spurber said that Nicole was a liar and her story repeatedly changed. She told the court that Nicole was an unreliable witness because she stood to gain favor by testifying. She spoke about MJ and said that she was unable to identify Hopton after the shooting because it was dark and she was nearsighted.
She went on to say that at one point MJ even identified someone else as the shooter and she only said hoped and looked similar as the shooter after being led by the prosecution. Henrian presented evidence from the GPS tracker in Kevin’s ankle monitor. It showed that Kevin was at the location of the robbery, was at the scene of Oscar’s murder, and was on Clemson Street at the time of the shooting.
Spurber told the court that Kevin had a rough life and he himself has been a victim of gang violence. On Friday, May 5th, 2010, shortly after 9:00 a.m., Kevin, his brother Reggie, and his pregnant wife Jana drove to a known Playboy hangout on Corning Street to visit some friends. Kevin got out the car and walked to the back of a nearby apartment building while Jana and Reggie stayed in the car.
Moments later, a silver SUV pulled up beside them, and someone inside of it opened fire multiple times. The SUV then fled the scene. Kevin ran back to the car and saw that Reggie was okay, but unfortunately Jana wasn’t as lucky. She had been hit in the head. Kevin drove her to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
She was 26 years old. Doctors delivered their 20week old daughter, Desiree, by emergency C-section and did all they could to save her, but sadly she was also pronounced dead. Investigators later arrested a group of Mansfield gangster cribs and charged them with Jana and Desiree’s murders. The prosecution’s gang expert was an LAPD officer named Armando Arenas.
Arenas told the court that he was the primary officer responsible for monitoring the Playboys. He said he made contact with Kevin and Hopton on several occasions where they each admitted to being members of Playboy. Arenas also told the court about Kevin’s tattoos, which included a Playboy bunny on his chest and the letter P on his right arm and on the side of his neck.
Arenas also spoke about the rivalry between the Playboys and Venice Shorelines. He said he believed the shooting was committed in benefit of the Playboy gangster cribs because it showed that they were willing to go into rival gang territory and commit a murder and that would raise the Playboy status within the gang world.
Ultimately, Kevin and Hopton were each found guilty of murder for the death of Oscar Duncan, as well as gun and gang enhancement charges. Kevin was also found guilty of the robbery. Hopton sentencing was held on Wednesday, April 29th, 2015. The courtroom was filled with Oscar’s family and friends.
Some wore black t-shirts with Oscar’s picture and JOE on them, and others wore Superman t-shirts. Prior to the sentencing, they were allowed to tell the court how Oscar’s death affected their lives. Oscar’s older brother, Curtis, said he initially wasn’t going to speak, but woke up in the middle of the night talking in his sleep and took it as a sign.
He stated, “Everything is perfect according to God’s plan. Through this, we got stronger. We may never get over it, but we will get through it. The law of the land has done its job.” Oscar’s stepfather Donald stated, “Oscar would have likely told the man to join his gang with a Jesus Christ. I pray and I challenged Mr.
Parsley to change his life.” The judge during the trial, Mark Windham, said he took the family statements to heart. He stated, “My regret is I never got to meet Oscar Duncan. It seems a great life was taken from our community too soon.” Afterwards, the sentencing commenced. Oopen Parsley was sentenced to 90 years to life in prison.
Kevin’s sentencing was healed a few weeks later on Friday, June 5th. Prior to the sentencing, Oscar’s cousin, Len, read several letters from Oscar’s family and friends. One letter was from one of his mentees at the Boys and Girls Club. He said Oscar was full of energy and was a confidant for the youth. Donald called Oscar a beautiful young man that didn’t deserve what happened to him.
He then turned his attention towards Kevin and stated, “You don’t go around shooting innocent kids. You don’t get no points for that.” He went on to say that he hopes Kevin changes his life for the better. Afterwards, Judge Winham handed down the sentence. Kevin Green was sentenced to 58 years to life in prison.
3 weeks later, on Wednesday, June 24th, Nicole Sharan was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Throughout his journey, Oscar Duncan touched numerous lives. Whether you needed a prayer, a word of encouragement, or just someone to listen, he was there. He never judged anyone or made them feel like they were less than.
He loved people, and people loved him. He was a mentee and also a mentor. Everyone knew that Oscar was destined to do great things. And although he’s not here physically, his spirit lives on. I want to end this video with one of Oscar’s songs titled Beautiful. I want to thank you guys for tuning in. Please like, comment, and subscribe.
This song’s for you. You’re a diamond. You just got to find your shine. You’re an ego. You just got to learn to fly through the dirt. You found your worth. And was strength without some hurt love. Oh yes. Yeah. At night you would cry. Laying down your pride on the pillow case. Even know you were scared.
You knew he was there. Right by your side, right by your side. You’re beautiful. [Music] You’re beautiful. [Music] In case you didn’t know, you’re beautiful. [Music] You’re beautiful. So you scared to step outside the box. One last step outside the clock. Cuz time’s on my hand. Know what’s on my wrist.
I don’t mind taking a risk with you. I don’t mind taking this risk with you. This love has got me blind. So I’m walking by faith with you. At night you would cry. Laying down your pride on the pillow case at night. Even though you were scared, you knew he was there. Right by your side, right by your side. Say you’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
In case you didn’t know, you’re beautiful. [Music] You’re beautiful. Can I talk to you for a minute? Talk to you for a minute. Let me just minister to you. [Music] You’re wonderfully and fearfully made. You’re the head and not the tail. The tail. You’re blessed. You’re blessed. You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful. In case you didn’t know, you’re beautiful. [Music] You’re beautiful. [Music] Number [Music] [Music] [Applause]
[Music]
