Families, Community Get Sense of Closure After Arrests in Redlands Shooting

Like many of their previous gatherings, there were tears and hugs of support.

But Monday, as the families of five teenagers attacked at Cinammon Creek Apartments in Redlands last year met in a meeting room at Redlands City Hall, there was something new.

Smiles. And a little bit of joy.

the arrest of four suspects in the Jan. 5, 2011 attack in a Redlands apartment complex that killed Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16. Two other boys were injured, and a fifth escaped without injury.

Monday’s announcement came after months of prayer and faith that the Redlands Police Department would find the attackers.

“A lot of prayer. You have to pray,” said Freda Robinson, Jackson’s grandmother. “And then God takes care of the rest. And you put it in your mind that you’re not going to bring them back. But with this, the (work of the) Redlands Police Department, I’m so elated. They’re an awesome, awesome bunch. That’s all I can say, and I have closure now with just what they’ve done so far.”

“It’s just a big burden taken off your chest,” said Gail Howard, the mother of one of the wounded survivors. “It’s a good thing. And I’m happy. I’m elated. I’m estatic. I just can’t tell you how happy I am.”

The four suspects – Redlands residents Anthony John Legaspi, 18; John David Salazar, 22; Adrian Powers, 18; and Jose Lara, 28 -- were arrested Thursday. Police officials notified the families about the change in the case Friday. That meant an anxious weekend of waiting for Monday’s announcement.

“We had to keep it on the hush on the weekend, and that was really hard,” said Shanita Williams, Quinn McCaleb’s mother. “Especially with my mom and close family members. But here we are.”

The arrests, and being able to present a sense of closure, came as a great relief to the officials working on the case.

“The biggest part for me today, I’ll be honest, you guys (the media) are nice people, but when I went across the street to meet the families today … this is why we have this passion in what we do,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos. “They’ve suffered since the day of the murder. It amazes me how they survive these tragic events like this. They come together. A lot of them rely on their faith, from what I heard today, thanking God. They were very patient with the Redlands Police Department, the district attorney’s office, in trying to put this case together.”

The attacks prompted an immediate response from members of the community surrounding the apartment complex, as well as others in the city. It was an encouraging response, said Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia.

“It demonstrated that there is a strong desire by this community to solve these kind of cases,” he said. “They’re not willing to sit back and let these things happen to our community. That speaks volumes to what this community thinks about that type of crime and what they’re willing to do to come out and support the police department in solving those crimes.”

The response was led in part by Dr. Felix Roger Jones III, a leader with the Cops and Clergy Network. A vigil immediately after the shooting drew more than 1,000 people, and a memorial walk in January drew another 400-plus.

“This is tremendous and one thing I would have had a little bit more emphasis on is the fact the community stayed a part of this,” Jones said. “And that’s the effort that we led -- to keep the community involved. We wanted to send a message that the community won’t allow this to happen. So we want to deter any future incidents. So I think it’s very important that criminals know that things like this will not become cold cases. We’re not going to allow it to happen. So we’re very, very happy.”

But the work is far from over, Ramos said Monday. It may take some time before the case goes to trial, but Howard said she would be among the audience at the trial – “I will be there with bells on,” she said. But, she said, don’t expect her to have any sympathy for the suspects once they’re in court.

“I don’t even have anything to tell them, anything to say,” she said. “They have to deal with it with God. They’re not even worth the time on my mind. Redlands PD promised that they would do what they’re going to do, and they did that. They’re not even worth an afterthought for me right now because how could you take … they’re innocent kids. They’re innocent and how could you do that?

“I feel sorry for their families. ... Now their families have to sit there and suffer with the guilt also.”

But overall, the message of Monday’s event was one of closure for the families who have spent the last year coming to grips with what happened that January evening.

“I didn’t know when, but I knew that we would reach this point. I knew we would,” Williams said. “I never gave up the faith. I never gave up hope that we would be here, because these boys were loved too much for it to go unsolved. Everybody loved them. I knew it would just be a matter of time.”