A Palos Verdes High School senior from an affluent family that enjoyed trips to Mexican resorts and played board games together has been charged with murder for allegedly driving the getaway car in a fatal gang-related shooting in South Los Angeles, police said Thursday.

Cameron Terrell, 18, the son of a South Bay interior designer and a media consultant based in El Segundo, was arrested Oct. 12 in connection with the shooting death 11 days earlier of Justin Alongino Holmes, 21, at 78th Street and Western Avenue, police said.

Suspected driver

Although Terrell is not suspected of firing the fatal gunshot, he still faces a murder charge under the law for his alleged role in the crime. Court records show he is charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and allegations that he committed the act for the benefit of his gang. If convicted, he could be sent to prison for at least 25 years to life.

How Terrell, a white teenager from a community that is more than 95 percent white and Asian, joined a predominantly black South Los Angeles gang is unclear. A homemade rap video posted on YouTube appears to show Terrell as the lone white face in the crowd.

County jail records show Terrell posted bail on Oct. 19. He is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court downtown. Within days after his release, a photograph posted on Facebook showed Terrell with his parents at Dodger Stadium for the World Series, which began Oct. 24.

Terrell reportedly remains in school even though he faces a murder charge, a fact that reportedly has created consternation among some parents on the Peninsula.

The charges against Terrell stem from the Oct. 1 shooting of Holmes at about 11:25 a.m. as he and two men walked west on 78th Street near Western Avenue. Police said Holmes and two friends were confronted by two gunmen who asked where they were from. One gunman fired multiple shots, hitting Holmes. His companions escaped.

The shooter and accomplice ran to a black car, which sped away south through an alley. Holmes was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Holmes and his companions were not linked to gang activity, police said.

Two other suspects

According to police, the investigation led to Terrell as the suspected driver. Los Angeles police criminal gang homicide investigators also arrested two other suspects, both under 18, on suspicion of murder. The suspects, whose names have not been released, are in custody in a juvenile facility.

Detective Chris Barling said the District Attorney’s Office plans to pursue legal procedures to prosecute the juveniles as adults.

Terrell’s father is Donald Wayne Terrell, the president of New & Improved Media, a media consulting firm in El Segundo. His mother is Debra Terrell, who operates an interior design business with clients primarily in the South Bay.

His mother’s Facebook page shows she and her husband offered their son an affluent lifestyle. Photographs show them fishing and vacationing in Mexico, enjoying beaches and resorts, She posted shots of them enjoying their time outdoors dirt biking, and at home, playing Scrabble, chess and fantasy football. Property records show the Terrells live in a 3,871-square-foot house with assessed value of $1.8 million.

No response from parents

Emails and phone calls to Terrell’s parents were not returned.

Palos Verdes Estates police Sgt. Luke Hellinga said officers in his department have been aware of the Los Angeles case for some time, and were in direct contact with the lead detective. Hellinga said that although there is no reason to believe there is any threat to the neighborhood where Terrell lives, or to the school, Palos Verdes Estates police are increasing their presence around the high school and Terrell’s home.

“We know that the community has been concerned with it,” he said.

Vigilance high

Palos Verdes Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin said he could not speak directly about a student, but noted that school officials were aware of the situation involving Terrell.

“Vigilance is high, right now,” Austin said. “It’s already a school district that values student safety at a premium level, so the staff and site administrators are all in communication. As always, the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department has been an excellent partner with us and given us advice along the way.”

Austin could not confirm that Terrell remains in class, but said “more globally,” students have a right to a public education, and “there are very clear exclusion criteria that have to occur before a student was not allowed to attend a public school.”

“For a school suspension of any kind, there has to be a direct nexus to the school itself,” Austin said. “These allegations have no nexus to our school. The allegations and charges against a student without a nexus to school would not be grounds for exclusion.”