More than three years after the teenager was shot and killed in his Pasadena home, authorities charged the two in connection with his death.
13-year-old Iran Moreno was playing video games in his bedroom on November 20, 2021. Police said at the time they did not believe Moreno was the shooter’s intended target.
LA County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced Friday that Moreno gunman Muhammad Abdul Malik, 38, and his accused leave driver Teleja Lakanna Flemings, 31, have been charged with murder of Pasadenateen. Abdul Malik faces an additional count of felony possession of a firearm by a felon.
Both Abdul Malik and Flemings could face life in state prisons if they were found guilty of being charged.
“The violence that took the boy’s life is not only tragic, but also an unacceptable crime,” Hochman said in a statement Friday about the charges.
“Never a family has to endure the heartbreak of losing a child under such a horrible situation,” he said. “We cannot reverse this tragedy, but we will endeavor tirelessly to ensure that the person in charge is held responsible.”
The District Attorney’s Office could not be contacted immediately for additional comments.
The Moreno incident took its first break in June when Pasadena police identified the public information about the suspects obtained from recently strengthened surveillance video.
Pasadena Police Lt. Carlo Montiglio said the tool used to enhance the video was “just available.”
“As technology improved, we were able to move the case further,” Montirio said.
A week after details from the surveillance video were released, Pasadena police were also released in a public detailed sketch of the suspect who ultimately led to his arrest, Montilio said.
Abdul Malik was arrested in Orlando, Florida on July 11, where he awaited extradition, while Flemings was arrested in San Fernando on July 16. Her arrest is scheduled for Monday.
The true targets of the shooting remain unknown, but Montilio said, “I don’t think it’s related to gangs in the sense that they’re trying to retaliate or film other people.”
Montiglio also said that although Abdul Malik and Flemings were estimated to be a couple at the time of the shooting, it was hard to believe they were together.
A few days after Moreno’s 2021 shooting death, members of the Pasadena community held a rally in honor of victims of gun violence. Authorities also pledged to devote additional resources to combat what Pasadena Deputy Director Sheryl Moody called the “slash of a gunshot.”
“The threat of gun violence is a real danger, and the Pasadena Police Department is working diligently to remove guns from the streets from the hands of people who intended to injure others,” Moody said at the time.
Times staff writers Summerlin, Nathan Solis and Britney Mezia contributed to this report.
