Michael Di'Shawn Radford, a 20-year-old man, tragically lost his life on January 5, 2019, after being shot at the Gable House Bowl in Torrance, California. The incident occurred just before midnight on January 4, during a popular event called Rock-n-Glow. A fight broke out among a group of women, which quickly escalated to involve men, leading to gunfire. Radford, along with his friends Astin Kyle Edwards and Robert Earl Meekins Jr., were trying to break up the fight when they were shot.
Radford and his friends were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight. The cause of death for Radford was determined to be gunshot wounds to the torso. Radford was known for his protective nature, which ultimately led to his involvement in the altercation.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Torrance police arrested Reginald Leander Wallace, a 47-year-old man, in connection with the incident. Wallace was apprehended two days later in Koreatown. He was charged with three counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges included special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, killing to further the activities of a criminal street gang, and using a handgun that caused great bodily injury and death. Wallace had a criminal history, including a conviction for first-degree murder as a juvenile and other firearm-related offenses. He had been released from prison in 2017 after serving 17 years.
The case against Wallace proceeded through the legal system, and he was eventually convicted in June 2022 for the murders of Radford, Edwards, and Meekins. Wallace was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2022, in Torrance Superior Court. The court proceedings revealed that Wallace had opened fire on gang rivals during the altercation at the bowling alley, resulting in the deaths of the three men and injuries to four others. The victims' families described Radford, Edwards, and Meekins as individuals who were trying to intervene and prevent further violence when they were killed.
