FULLERTON – The community of Southern California furries is reeling in the wake of a triple homicide in Fullerton and the subsequent arrests of two men with ties to furry culture.

This week, the La Habra Fur Bowling group canceled their regular bowling night until at least January, fearing that “non-fandom people” might cause them harm.

“Our main goal is to keep everyone safe,” the group posted on its Facebook page.

“We do not want to host a meet while bloods are still running high on all sides.”

The Dogpatch Press, an online news site for the furry community, said in a statement that the Sept. 24 homicides – in which at least two of the victims are either active furries or have ties to that world – have been devastating.

“It really is the worst thing that ever happened with ties to this community.”

Saturday’s slayings of Christopher Yost, 34; his wife, Jennifer Yost, 39; and their friend Arthur Boucher, 28, are also “disproportionally big” for the group, the statement says.

According to a website for SoCal Furs, the furry community stretches from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.

SoCal Furs held a barbecue on Sept. 17 at Irvine Regional Park attended by many members in brightly colored costumes.

Furries have been around since the 1980s. They admire anthropomorphic animals – characters that walk on two feet and speak like humans.

Most of them are “non-suiters,” meaning they don’t spend $1,000 to $5,000 or more on full-body animal costumes. Instead, they create characters and wear badges with their characters displayed.

The furry community comprises mostly adults under 30, although there are some older furries who were fans of Disney movies involving animals with human characteristics, such as in “Robin Hood.”

Jennifer Yost, her 17-year old daughter Katlynn Goodwill Yost., as well as the homicide suspects Frank Felix, 25, of Sun Valley; and Joshua Acosta, a 21-year-old solider based at Fort Irwin, were all members of the SoCal Furs.

All three victims died from shotgun blasts, the Orange County Coroner’s office said Wednesday. Acosta is the suspected gunman, according to prosecutors.

Police have declined to comment on a motive for the slayings or say whether there is a link to the furry community.

The Dogpatch Press urged the public not to judge furries in the wake of the killings.

“They can say there’s weird stuff with misfit people, but nobody did a crime while participating in one of our activities. In the end it’s just between regular humans.”

Furries throughout Southern California are reeling from the homicides, said Melinda Giles, a friend of Jennifer Yost and a member of the furry community.

“We are devastated and very angry,” she said “It’s a really bad situation. We are canceling events out of respect to mourn and lot of outside negativity. That’s not what we are about. We very fun loving. It’s not a lifestyle that’s deviant.”

Furries have been targeted in the past for violence.

Chlorine gas sickened several people and forced the evacuation of thousands of guests from a suburban Chicago hotel in December 2014, including many dressed in cartoonish animal costumes for an annual furries convention, according to the Associated Press.

The source of the gas was apparently chlorine powder left in a ninth-floor stairwell at the hotel, the Rosemont Public Safety Department said. Investigators believe the gas was created intentionally.

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