A Long Beach man who police say shot and killed a 35-year-old man nearly two months ago likely did so over a parking dispute at a North Long Beach condominium complex, according to court documents recently obtained by the Long Beach Post.
Roland Barber, 40, is accused of gunning down David Nevarez following a dispute at the Pacifica Cove Condominiums in the 5500 block of Ackerfield Avenue on the night of June 16.
Police say the two didn’t know each other, but they came face to face that night after Nevarez showed up for a gathering at one of the condos, according to a search warrant filed last month in Long Beach Superior Court.
Barber, according to the warrant, had recently become upset about people blocking his parking spaces. That escalated the night of the gathering when Barber, allegedly wearing a mask and using a cane, shot Nevarez following an argument with him and his acquaintances, police allege in the warrant.
One of Nevarez’s acquaintances, according to the warrant, could be heard in security footage cursing and yelling, “You gotta shoot! You can’t even scrap for a parking place. You gotta shoot like a b—-.”
“Based on the spontaneous statement caught on video, detectives believe that there was a dispute over parking that escalated to the shooting,” a detective investigating the case wrote in the search warrant.
Though it’s not clear if the gunfire was intended for Nevarez, he was struck multiple times, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. He died after being rushed by paramedics to a local hospital.
Following the shooting, Barber immediately fled the area and was picked up by his uncle, who drove him toward Downtown Long Beach, according to the warrant. Barber’s wife, meanwhile, remained in communication with her husband while police conducted a homicide investigation outside their condo, according to the warrant.
When detectives finally left the area later that night, she told her husband it was safe to come back home, according to the warrant.
Barber evaded arrest for nearly two weeks, until June 29, when he and his wife were “ambushed” in a shooting by someone looking to get revenge for Nevarez, according to the warrant.
That morning, Barber and his wife were parking their vehicle when 29-year-old Isaac Garcia, who police believe is associated with Nevarez’s acquaintance, began firing at them, striking Barber in the arm, according to the warrant.
In response, Barber’s wife went to their condo to retrieve a handgun before shooting several times into Nevarez’s acquaintance’s condo, police wrote.
Barber was taken into custody that day and has since pleaded not guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and being a felon with a handgun, according to court records. He also pleaded not guilty to one count of murder in connection to Nevarez’s killing.
Though Garcia fled the scene after the shooting, he was also taken into custody shortly after, according to police. Court records show he’s since pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a gun.
While Barber was still in custody, detectives gathered more evidence connecting him to the June 16 shooting, according to the warrant. Through text messages, security footage, and GPS signaling, detectives also found that Barber’s wife and uncle had played a role in helping the 40-year-old evade arrest for Nevarez’s killing.
They were both taken into custody on Aug. 3 in connection to Nevarez’s shooting and have since pleaded not guilty to one count of accessory after the fact, court records show.
This is not the first time Barber has faced charges in connection to a parking dispute, according to the warrant.
Barber was previously convicted of assault with a firearm after authorities arrested him in 2008 in connection to a murder, according to the warrant. As a result, he was sentenced to five years in state prison.
Following his release from prison, Barber was arrested by Buena Park police in 2013 after he got into a dispute with a couple over a parking space in his apartment complex and pulled out a knife, according to the warrant.
He was convicted the following year for criminal threats, though it wasn’t clear whether he faced any jail time.