$20K Reward Offered To Find Killer of Cerritos Resident Tauruson McMillian

By Randy Economy

A $20,000 reward has been established to help find the person or persons responsible for the death of a Cerritos resident Tauruson McMillian who was murdered on January 4 in the city of Compton.

On Wednesday, community leaders from the city of Compton, as well as Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas held a press conference at Compton City Hall to announce the reward and to update the media in regards to the investigation surrounding McMillian’s case.

Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Department have been searching for clues in the shooting death of McMillan who was gunned down while driving his car in Compton.

HMG-CN first reported on the details of the shooting death of McMillian.  Since then several news organizations around Southern California and the nation have reported on the details of the slaying.

According to a statement released by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, McMillian was driving his red SS Monte Carlo North on Wilmington Avenue from Rosecrans Avenue in Compton when he was shot and killed.

“Deputies responded to the 1300 block of North Wilmington Avenue and discovered the victim seated in his car suffering from multiple gunshot wounds made from 5.56 ammo. According to witnesses, the victim was driving when they heard the sound of gunshots and saw the victim’s car crash into a fence on the Northeast corner of Wilmington Avenue and Cressey Street,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Nicole Nishida.

“Victim Tauruson McMillian was not a gang member, he worked for the City of Pasadena and was studying fire science with aspirations to join the fire department. Detectives believe he was shot simply because he was driving his red vehicle. Sheriff’s homicide Detectives are requesting the public’s assistance in obtaining any information about Tauruson ‘s murder,” Nishida told HMG-CN and other news outlets on Tuesday afternoon.

McMillian died at the scene and Sheriff’s Department investigators are interested in talking with anyone who may have witnessed the crime.

Tauruson had accepted employment late last year as a sanitation engineer with the City of Pasadena.  He had also recently started a second job as a tow truck driver.  His future goal was to become a fire fighter and he had been studying for this for the past several years.

Tauruson‘s longtime partner Mary Johnson told HMG-CN after the murder in January that McMillian “was the greatest and kindest man” and was always “trying to make the world around him a little brighter and happier.”

In addition to Johnson, two sisters survived McMillian.

Attending the press conference to announce the reward was Lt. John Corina, Sergeant Domenick Recchia, Sergeant John O’Brien, and Compton Sheriff’s Captain Leonard McCray all from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Also participating in the press conference: Compton Mayor Aja Brown, City Manager G. Harold Duffey, City Attorney Craig Cornwell, Council Member Yvonne Arceneaux, Council Member Janna Zurita, Council Member Isaac Galvan, Council Member Willie O. Jones, Assistant City Manager Johnny Ford, Assistant City Manager Kelly Montgomery, Field Deputy Ron Fisher, and 2nd District Board of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.