Man killed near San Mateo shopping center was rap artist

“The similarities to the homicide in October are not lost on us, and we are working to determine whether these incidents are related,” said San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini in a video update Tuesday.

Police are still going through all the evidence of the Dec. 19 case, and no arrests are imminent. There are currently no suspects or motive in the case, said Officer Michael Haobsh, a San Mateo police spokesperson. The shooting happened about 9:30 a.m. in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot at 81 Hillsdale Blvd. Lasi left his residence at the Hillsdale Garden Apartment, where he lived for the past four months, and went to his car, which was parked near Wells Fargo Bank, Lt. Todd Medford said. Witnesses told police that a man shot Lasi five times before running away. The shooting was an isolated incident and didn’t involve the bank. As of Tuesday, the police have served seven search warrants involving the murder, with more search warrants expected in the future.

San Mateo police have issued more than 20 search warrants in the Muasika case. In the days following the Oct. 30 murder, police responded to four additional incidents of shots fired. No one was injured in the incidents. In response to the shooting incidents, the department reallocated assets, reassigned officers to investigations, increased patrols and assigned overtime to officers, Barberini said.

San Mateo has had four murders this year, an increase from last year. Barberini said his department is doing all it can to solve the cases, and although it has not released much information, it often is because cases are still in active investigations.

“With each of the instances I’ve described, I examine what we could have done to prevent these types of crimes. The truth is that given the uniqueness and specificity of these violent acts and our victims, no amount of proactive police work or preventative measures could have foreseen or deterred these crimes,” Barberini said.

A community meeting for the Beresford Hillsdale neighborhood also occurred early Wednesday evening to discuss community property crime issues at the Hillsdale Garden Apartment and other community concerns in the area. The meeting included a panel discussion with Barberini and officers assigned to the neighborhood.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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