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The Week in Photos: A brutal killing devastates a family; meanwhile, California braces for flooding

At right, a man rests while leaning on a shovel, dwarfed by a snow bank.
Dwarfed by a snow bank, a resident takes a break from shoveling snow in Mammoth Lakes on Tuesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
By Times Photography Staff
 and Silvia Rázgová

Hello, and welcome to this week’s selection of top stories in pictures.

A new storm brings more peril to California rivers already hit by deadly flooding as another atmospheric river storm rolls in, washing out roads and forcing evacuations.

A person in a tan firefighter uniform climbs over a steep snow berm, their head disappearing behind a pile
Fire line medic Aaron Thomas climbs over a steep snow berm while delivering medicine to a snowed-in home in Lake Arrowhead on Friday.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A person walking their dog in the rain is viewed through raindrops gathering on a window
Viewed through raindrops gathering on a window, a person walks their dog in the rain on Friday in Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Workers endure heavy rain as they work at Dory Fishing Fleet and Market
Workers endure heavy rain as they work at Dory Fishing Fleet and Market in Newport Beach on Friday. More rain is heading toward the Southland, but the area is expected to avoid the brunt of the storm.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A man, holding a bicycle, hops over a puddle near the Los Angeles River
A cyclist crosses a puddle along the banks of the Los Angeles River in Long Beach on Sunday. The river and its banks were littered with debris following recent heavy rains.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A family tragedy: A suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday following the brutal killing of 17-year-old Xavier Chavarin the previous week.

A triptych: top, a man hugs a crying woman; bottom left, a teen sits at a vigil, and right, man lights a candle.
Top: Jesus Frias, left, grandfather of 17-year-old Xavier Chavarin, who was fatally stabbed last week in El Sereno, comforts the boy’s mother, Laura Frias, on Wednesday at the location in Alhambra where the suspect barricaded himself in a standoff with police. Above left: A photo of Xavier Chavarin is placed at his memorial on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Above right: Xavier Chavarin’s father, Daniel Chavarin, tends to a candlelight memorial for his son.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times; Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

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After the snowstorm last week, mountain communities are bracing for new storm. See the scenes from the San Bernardino Mountains as they dig out. The storms have now claimed 13 lives.

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A man stands on a road while piles of snow are stacked up on both sides of it, in some areas higher than the person.
Crestline Road was down to one lane on Sunday as piles of snow stacked up on both sides of the road in Crestline, off Highway 138.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Men in orange jumpsuits, orange helmets and reflective vest dig with snowshovels along a pathway in front of two homes
Prado Conservation Camp inmates help dig out residents’ property from under piles of snow on Tuesday in Crestline.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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She had 72 hours to pay the back rent or leave. Inside one woman’s fight to stave off homelessness as eviction cases flood courts.

Leticia Graham, reflected in a mirror, puts on makeup
Leticia Graham gets ready for work in February at her apartment in Los Angeles before riding the bus to Glendale, where she works at a shopping mall.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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Now, take a look at what walls of snow look like as Mammoth Lakes continues to dig out.

A full moon rises over a valley with a village at night, with mountains in the background
A full moon rises over snowed-in Mammoth Lakes on Tuesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A man shovels snow off the roof of a building with an ice-cream cone sign hanging on its side.
Mammoth Fun Shop owner Brang Miller shovels snow off the roof of his store on Tuesday as he and other locals try to dig out from snow in between storms.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A small figure of a person carrying a child walks at night on a frozen road between huge snow banks lit by street lamps.
A person carrying a child walks along Canyon Boulevard in Mammoth Lakes on Tuesday. Residents tried to dig themselves out of more than 550 inches of snow that has fallen at the main lodge during the recent storms.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A suspect is dead after allegedly shooting three LAPD officers in Lincoln Heights on Wednesday.

A LAPD officer puts out a red flare in the middle of a road
An LAPD officer puts out flares as he secures the scene where three officers were shot in Lincoln Heights on Wednesday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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“When you’re sailing, you’re making your own road.” How a Korean American found freedom and healing by retracing the first Korean immigrants’ ocean voyage.

Standing in a sailboat harbor, a man at left kisses a woman who reacts smiling and closing her eyes.
Jin Woo Nam, 63, left, kisses his wife, Stella Kim, before he boards his yacht, Ignatella, on March 5 in Marina Del Rey. Nam and his team are setting sail for a 3-month journey from Marina del Rey to Honolulu and ultimately to Incheon, South Korea.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
A ship sets sail in a harbor while a group of people wave and record on their cell phones.
Nam and the crew of the Ignatella begin their journey with support from well-wishers in Marina del Rey on March 5.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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“Power, privilege and lies”: As Mark Ridley-Thomas’ corruption and bribery trial begins, a church continues to support the suspended Los Angeles City Council member through prayer.

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man in glasses is seen in focus through a crowd
Mark Ridley-Thomas, 68, sits in the audience as community members and clergy from across Los Angeles gathered at Holman United Methodist Church on Sunday to offer him support on the eve of his trial. Ridley-Thomas stands accused of bribery, conspiracy and fraud as part of a scheme in which he allegedly steered contracts to USC in exchange for special benefits for his son.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touted Florida’s approach during his California visit on Sunday, claiming that the “woke mind virus” led to an influx of residents to his state, showing the popularity of his anti-liberal policies.

DeSantis says Californians are fleeing “woke” policies. Researchers have found otherwise: “It’s about the life stage people are in — and ‘wokeness’ is not a stage of the life cycle.”

As San Francisco and L.A. lose residents, some California cities are booming. We mapped it all.

man in a suit and tie speaks from a podium standing in front of a retired presidential helicopter.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took his fight against liberalism to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on March 5.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Clouds hover in the background of a condensed view of downtown Los Angeles skyline partially lit by a sunset.
Traffic flows into downtown Los Angeles in February. Downtown and other L.A. County areas, including Echo Park, West Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire and Culver City, are among the California ZIP Codes that have seen the largest outflow of residents — mostly due to housing costs.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Arson destroyed a Black L.A. church. The pastor vows to rebuild, and while he wonders how else to secure a future in the changing city, he knows that bridging divisions will be critical.

A triptych of, top, Edward Jenkins; left, burnt remains of a building; and right, burnt remains of an “Enter” sign
Top, Pastor Edward Jenkins, on the empty lot where Victory Baptist Church once stood. Founded in 1943, Victory Baptist was the spiritual home for four generations of Black Angelenos. A fire in September burned it to the ground. Above left, church members help in weekly community food giveaways in December, near the charred exterior. Above right, remains of an “enter” sign at the site of the church.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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Curious about the bikers wearing turbans? They want to talk with you.

A man, wearing a leather vest and a helmet, with long salt-and-pepper beard looks at the camera while riding a motorcycle
Satnam Singh, secretary of Sikh Motorcycle Club USA, rides through Bakersfield in July 2022 while on a cross-country trip, dubbed Ride Against Hate, which commemorated the 10th anniversary of a mass shooting at Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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And finally: A simple scene in downtown Los Angeles offers a respite from a news cycle packed with challenging weather and mayhem.

Window panels reflect a passerby in a pink jacket and black leggings with a dog as they walk on a street.
Window panels reflect a scene on Figueroa and 12th streets in downtown Los Angeles on a chilly but sunny Monday afternoon.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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More to Read

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Times Photography Staff

The award-winning Los Angeles Times’ photo staff works across Southern California, the state, the nation and the world to bring readers images that inform and inspire daily. A complete list of the Visual Journalism staff can be found on the Newsroom Directory. Recent galleries can be seen on our photography page.

Silvia Rázgová

Silvia Rázgová is a former photo editor at the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in 2022 after previously working for the newspaper and other publications as a freelance photographer. Born in Slovakia, she immigrated to the United States in 2000 and continued her education, receiving a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After working as a contract photojournalist for the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado, Rázgová became a staff photographer at the National, an English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where she covered daily news, documentary projects, and features for nearly five years. In 2016, she moved to Los Angeles working on commissions as a photojournalist and continued to photograph projects in the UAE and Slovakia. In her personal work she explores the themes of home, loss, belonging and poignancy of life.

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