At 31, Gaston was a little bit older than a typical Los Angeles County homicide victim a decade ago. In 2014, his age makes him a few years younger. Those killed in the county — still disproportionately black and nearly half Latino — are skewing older.
“You're not seeing youngsters like you have in the past,” said Det. Todd Anderson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. “You used to see a lot more kids who were 16, 17, 18, 19. While it does still happen, it seems like they are getting a little bit older.”
In 2000, the average homicide victim was 30 years old and in 2014, the average victim was 34 years old, according to a Los Angeles Times data analysis. The shift comes as the total number of homicides falls.