Reginald Leander Wallace, a Los Angeles resident, has been convicted of murdering three people and wounding four others during a 2019 shooting at a Torrance bowling alley. A jury found the 51-year-old guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder after he opened fire during a brawl.
11 shots and a Styrofoam cup of brandy
The violence occurred on January 4, 2019, at the Gable House Bowl in Torrance, where Reginald Leander Wallace fired 11 rounds into a crowd of people.. According to the report, Wallace was holding a Styrofoam cup containing brandy in his left hand while using his right hand to discharge the weapon.. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 20-year-old Michael Di'Shawn Radford and 28-year-olds Astin Kyle Edwards and Robert Earl Meekins Jr.
Family members of the victims testified that Michael Di'Shawn Radford, Astin Kyle Edwards, and Robert Earl Meekins Jr. were not involved in the initial conflict but were attempting to intervene and stop the fight when they were shot. Following the attack, Reginald Leander Wallace walked out of the Gable House Bowl and was later picked up by associates along Hawthorne Boulevard.
Reginald Leander Wallace's history of violence and parole
At the time of the Gable House Bowl shooting, Reginald Leander Wallace was a parolee who had previously been incarcerated for assault with a firearm. The trial revealed a lifelong pattern of criminality, noting that Wallace had been in custody for most of his adult life and had even been convicted of murder as a minor. During his testimony, Wallace identified himself as a gang associate and admitted he was aware that rival gang members were present at the bowling alley before the violence began.
The conviction on a count of a felon in possession of a firearm underscores the breach of parole conditions that allowed Wallace to obtain a weapon. Because of his extensive crimial record and the nature of these crimes, Wallace now faces the possibility of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Detective Lucas Ryono's role in the conviction
Prosecutor John Chang credited the conviction to the "relentlesss work" of Torrance police detective Lucas Ryono. As reported, the investigation utilized critical evidence including surveillance footage and recorded jailhouse conversations. In these recordings, Reginald Leander Wallace told a cellmate that he had specifically positioned himself under a surveillance camera near the entrance, mistakenly believing the angle would prevent the camera from capturing the shooting.
The legal team, including prosecutor Robert Song, argued that the incident was a targeted gang hit rather than a random act of violence. Outside the courtroom, John Chang stated that the verdict sends a clear message that the community will hold those who commit gang violence accountable.
The unexplained fight between two groups of women
Despite the conviction of the shooter, the catalyst for the entire event remains a mystery. Trial evidence, including video footage, showed a confrontation between two groups of women near the food pickup area of Gable House Bowl just before midnight on January 4, 2019. While the video captured the exchange of words and the subsequent eruption of a physical fight, it never surfaced during the trial what actually started the dispute.
This missing piece of the puzzle leaves a gap in the narrative: it is unclear if the initial fight between the women was related to the gang tensions Reginald Leander Wallace claimed to recognize, or if the shooter simply exploited a random brawl to target his enemies.
A pattern of gang-related violence in Los Angeles
The Gable House Bowl tragedy reflects a broader, recurring trend of gang-related volatility spilling into public commercial spaces across the Los Angeles area. The fact that a known violent offender with a history of murder was out on parole and capable of carrying a firearm into a crowded business highlights ongoing concerns regarding the efficacy of parole supervision for high-risk individuals.
The reaction of the victims' families, who were seen sobbing in the Torrance Superior Court, emphasizes the long-term trauma caused by such incidents. The case serves as a grim reminder of how quickly a civilian dispute can escalate into a mass-casualty event when firearms are introduced by individuals with deep ties to gang culture.
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