Detectives with the Homicide Bureau of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department have described the recent investigation into a double-murder on Halloween as part of a “very active” investigation, but there’s been little said publicly.
The Oct. 31 shooting happened after a fight at a party as partygoers left the cul-de-sac home at 25031 DeWolfe Road.
The shooting was preceded by an altercation inside the party, according to Lt. Mike Modica of the Homicide Bureau, who leads the team in charge of the investigation.
At some point, one of the people involved in the confrontation decided to leave the party and called for a ride.
Detectives have not offered a more specific timeline on the shooting, or whether they believe there was another altercation outside the residence that hosted the house party.
Homicide detectives have not publicly identified anyone who was believed to be involved in the earlier confrontation at the party.
What is known is that the person who arrived, as well as one other person, were struck and killed by gunfire that broke out shortly after the designated driver’s arrival.
L.A. County Fire Department officials said they received the 911 call regarding the shooting at 11:15 a.m., and that paramedics were on the scene seven minutes later in response to the report of two shooting victims.
A 29-year-old Encino man named Elijah Harts was shot in the chest and pronounced dead on the street, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Office report. A second man named Anthony Mora, a 27-year-old from Newhall, was also struck in the shooting. He was pronounced dead hours later at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
Homicide Bureau detectives have not said whether there’s been any connection between the two victims. There’s no indication the two victims were related or knew each other.
A pair of online pages have been set up to support the families, which also share statements about the victims.
Harts, who was a licensed barber, had a GoFundMe set up by a Stevenson Ranch resident who wanted to support the family, which includes Harts’ young son.
A post shared by Monarch Beauty Academy praised Harts’ memory and noted, “He was the first licensed barber to graduate from Monarch Beauty Academy, making history here in Santa Clarita,” according to the post.
“Eli’s passion, talent and kindness left an impression on everyone who knew him,” the post stated. “He was dedicated to his craft, to his clients, and to lifting others up … always checking on our staff and introducing himself to new students when he’d come back to visit.”
Similarly, a fundraiser was set up to support the Mora family with its unexpected funeral costs.
“We may never understand why things happen the way they do or why God takes those we love most,” according to the family post. “He brought light and laughter wherever he went and was always the goofball of the family, the one who could lift spirits when others were down. He was a loving son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, boyfriend and friend whose heart was full of care for those around him.”
Modica has said that no arrests have been made, and no suspect information is being publicly released at this time.
The shooting deaths are the latest Halloween tragedy to befall the SCV.
On Oct. 31, 2011, Alejandro Sanchez Torrez, 31, was shot in front of his son, Anthony, after he stepped up to help a man being robbed at a strip mall on Soledad Canyon Road east of Sierra Highway in Canyon Country.
Earlier this year after a retrial, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sentenced the man convicted of attempted murder in a Halloween 2022 shooting at the Valencia Town Center mall to a total of 23 years to life in prison.
Raul Rosales Ramirez, 22, of Canyon Country, was charged with one count of second-degree murder for driving into a pole in the early morning hours after Halloween 2023 in a crash resulting in the death of Orlando Gomez Sales, 39, of Santa Clarita, on Bouquet Canyon Road.
Anyone with information about the shooting on DeWolfe Road can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
A GoFundMe link to support the Harts family is available here: bit.ly/ElijahHarts.
A GoFundMe link to support the Mora family is available here: bit.ly/Anthon/yMora.
