LOS FELIZ, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Neighbors are expressing concerns about crime after a man was stabbed and killed outside of a Los Feliz shelter. A man who lives at the shelter was arrested for his murder.

On July 5, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the temporary city of Los Angeles homeless shelter on Riverside Drive near Los Feliz Boulevard.

Police said 48-year-old Richard Ware was stabbed to death by someone who lives at the shelter. The suspect also stabbed Ware’s dog, who survived the attack.

Royce Rainey, 36, was arrested on murder charges.

Police say the two men had allegedly been fighting over a woman who also lives at the shelter and with whom they were both romantically involved.

Karin, who lives nearby and volunteers at the shelter, says it should have never happened.

“The operator could have transitioned Richard to another facility, offered him housing somewhere else, but they failed to do so. This fight that happened, apparently the entire week before, there was quite a bit of upsettedness between the two men,” Karin said. “The very fact that it came to the point of the current resident having a knife and going after the dog and then ultimately slaying Richard is absolutely unacceptable. There should have been exterior security. It would have never happened. We’ve been asking for exterior security since May of 2023 and before.”

“It’s unambiguous how unsafe the area is, and yet it goes unaddressed. And now, of course, a man lost his life because of it,” said Los Feliz resident Greg Schultz.

According to Los Feliz residents, this isn’t the first time issues associated with the A Bridge Home shelter have spilled into the neighborhood.

Although it isn’t supposed to happen, encampments have formed outside the shelter, and in the case of Ware, he was living in his car outside after leaving the shelter back in March.

Just days before the murder on July 1, a new service provider took over running the A Bridge Home shelter from PATH. The new service provider, Keeping You Connected, has vowed to improve conditions, but some residents believe it’s too late.

“We have had a rape in the bathroom across the street between the tennis courts and the soccer fields. We have needles in the play yard at the nursery school that have to be picked up by the rec and park staff,” Karin said. “We’ve had the copper stolen out of the Mulholland fountain by people who are in the Bridge Home shelter.”

The stay for residents at the temporary shelter is supposed to be 180 days, but Eyewitness News was told that half the 95 residents have been there for one to two years. ABC7 spoke to Red Robinson, who has lived at the shelter for two and a half years.

“Allegedly, a housing voucher materialized in. I never received it though, five days prior to it expiring. Something’s not right. I should have had my voucher months ago. Gotta do what I gotta do to get something going for myself,” Robinson said.

Councilmember Nithya Raman sent Eyewitness News the following statement:

“Our office was alerted by the Rangers of a homicide resulting from an interpersonal dispute near the A Bridge Home shelter site on Riverside Dr. over the weekend. We are deeply saddened by this unimaginable tragedy and express our sincerest condolences to the family of the victim.

Our office has always operated under the principle that addressing street homelessness is a public safety priority, and we work with urgency to move people indoors and off the streets. The A Bridge Home shelter site on Riverside Dr. is one such intervention, providing 100 shelter beds in the area for people who would otherwise be living on the streets. Our office has worked to make significant improvements to the site, including addressing sanitation issues, engaging regularly with the community, improving transparency and oversight over site operations, and partnering with a new homelessness service provider to ensure greater support for residents.

Every resident of Los Angeles deserves to be safe in their homes and on our city’s streets – and bringing people indoors into shelter and stability is critical for the public safety of all Angelenos.”