Investigators are seeking the public for help in finding a man suspected of the death of a woman and daughter in a drive-by shooting at Stoplight in Compton.
La’von Hall, 45, and his daughter, Ma’laysia Martin, 22, were shot dead at about 7pm on Tuesday. Donte Lamont Brown, a 41-year-old Compton resident and Hall’s estranged boyfriend, has been identified as a suspect in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
The agency called for help finding Brown on Thursday.
“Detectives are running out of all their leads and seeking the public’s support in finding suspicious browns,” the department said in a news release. “Brown is considered armed and dangerous, and his whereabouts are unknown at this time.”
Brown is known to be frequently found in the Compton and Long Beach areas, the department added.
update* #lasd Murder Detective Identifies the suspect at Compton Double Murder Investigation, Caldwell Street, South Central Avenue #comptonhttps://t.co/6q0dsokwc8 pic.twitter.com/9S7SXXM1C9
– LA County Sheriff (@lasdhq) April 3, 2025
Lawmakers responded to Caldwell Street and South Central Avenue around 7pm on Tuesday, where they found a hole in the ground with a gunshot wound. Also, Martin was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, injured by a bullet.
Both women died at the scene.
Brown drove alongside the victim’s vehicle while he was at the stoplight and fired several rounds, the Sheriff’s Department said. The hall got out of the car but fell to the ground.
Brown left the scene southbound on South Central Avenue, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Neighbor Debbie Shaw said he spoke to the boyfriend of the young victim after the shooting.
“She went to pick up her mother from work,” Shaw said. “To come here to see mother and daughter, that’s really heartbreaking.”
Compton City Councilman Jonathan Bowers said the shooting is considered a case of domestic violence. Motivation details were not available immediately.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Department at 323-890-5500.
