A USC scholar whom police accused of fatally stabbing a person who had damaged right into a automotive on Greek Row is not going to be charged within the killing, prosecutors introduced Thursday.
Ivan Gallegos, 19, was being held on bail of $2 million after Los Angeles police say he and two others confronted Xavier Cerf, 27, as he was breaking right into a automotive, and Gallegos pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed him.
“After cautious consideration and a radical evaluation of all obtainable proof, we now have determined to not pursue expenses in opposition to … Gallegos. We imagine that Mr. Gallegos’s actions have been pushed by a real worry for his life and the lives of others,” Dist. Atty. George Gascon mentioned in an announcement. “Our coronary heart goes out to the deceased’s household, mates and everybody impacted by this tragic incident.”
The confrontation occurred Monday simply after 8 p.m. within the 700 block of West twenty eighth Avenue, police mentioned. Gallegos remained on the scene after the stabbing, cooperated with investigators and was later booked, in response to police. The 2 different males who have been with him have been questioned and launched.
Police mentioned they discovered Cerf in a close-by alley affected by stab wounds and when paramedics arrived he was pronounced useless on the scene.
In a GoFundMe marketing campaign created to help Gallegos, his mom Violet claims that her son was appearing in self-defense when he stabbed Cerf. Gallegos discovered himself in that scenario “as a result of lack of security measures round his campus,” in response to the publish.
In the meantime, Cerf’s mom, Yema Jones, mentioned she is reeling from his dying and is trying to find solutions. She mentioned he has been struggling mentally lately after the dying of relations and, on the time of his dying, had hoped to return to Houston to be along with her. Whereas Cerf does have a legal file, Jones mentioned he was a peaceable individual.
“They’re making my son out to be an individual that he’s not,” Jones mentioned. “He was very vibrant. He beloved to bounce. He wasn’t a violent child arising.”
Jones mentioned the previous few days have been “exhausting and devastating.”
She was notified of her son’s dying by way of a telephone name from the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Workplace, who informed her Cerf had been stabbed “a number of occasions.”
On his TikTok web page, which had gathered practically 2,000 followers, Cerf shared a number of movies of himself dancing — generally by himself, generally with household and mates.
Her son traveled continuously, Jones mentioned, and visited California up to now. However on his newest journey, he arrived in Los Angeles on the finish of February.
He was father to a 3-year-old boy, Anthony.
“One factor about me is I’m by no means going to color a fairly image about my son. I’m simply going to offer you info. Everyone goes by way of life points,” Jones mentioned. “Regardless, he was nonetheless a father. He was nonetheless a brother. He was nonetheless a son. It didn’t should go that far.”
On Tuesday, one in all Gallegos’ highschool mates going to high school with him at USC described him as somebody who went out of his technique to handle his mates.
“He was at all times searching for others,” mentioned the pal. “I used to be heartbroken once I heard the information about Ivan. On the finish of the day, I do know he was simply making an attempt to defend himself. He’s beloved by many at USC.”
Gallegos’ household didn’t return calls looking for details about him. However in a short telephone dialog on Tuesday, Gallegos’ mom mentioned: “He’s a very good child.”
Earlier this yr, Gallegos took to his LinkedIn web page to share an excerpt of an essay he wrote for the USC Dornsife Jail Training Venture.
“I’ll dedicate my life to begin a motion to encourage individuals combating criminality to hunt a greater life for themselves as a result of a life residing locked up, isn’t a life value residing for,” he wrote. The piece was awarded an honorable point out.
Gallegos has additionally been featured in campus media for his work as a musician producing digital dance music.
In Could, he carried out with Mariachi Los Troyanos on the college below his stage identify IDG, in response to a latest report from USC Annenberg Media.
“All through his childhood, Ivan navigated the realities of each his dad and mom’ involvement in gang actions, resulting in their intermittent incarceration,” the report mentioned. “Regardless of rising up in an setting saturated with medication, gangs and prostitution, he targeted on music and sharpened his expertise to turn out to be a multifaceted [instrumentalist] and vocalist.”
