COMPTON, Calif. -- Police investigating the slaying of Venus and Serena Williams' older sister focused on the possibility that a gang feud or drug dispute might have led to the death of the 31-year-old mother of three.

Aaron Michael Hammer, 24, was held without bail after being booked for investigation of murder. He had been set to be arraigned Tuesday morning, but the court appearance was postponed. As many as four others were being sought for questioning, Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said.

Hammer has ties to a Compton street gang although he is not a member, authorities said, declining to elaborate. He also has been convicted on counts of check forgery and commercial burglary. According to police records obtained by ESPN, a partial list of Hammer's crime history also includes charges of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted rape, misdemeanor battery, and grand theft.

Yetunde Price, 31, was shot in the chest early Sunday about a mile from the tennis courts where her younger sisters first rose to prominence in this gang- and violence-plagued city outside Los Angeles.

The motive for the slaying remained under investigation.

As many as four other possible suspects were being sought, Deputy Richard Pena said.

Price was killed by a gunman standing in front of a house that was known to attract gang members and where drugs have been sold in the past, authorities said.

"At this point, we just don't know if this is gang or narcotics," said sheriff's Lt. Daniel Rosenberg, a homicide detective. "I can tell you there are certain indications to suggest this location has involved either gangs or drugs. The house was troublesome to both the residents in the community and the deputies in Compton station."

Price, who no longer lived in Compton, was sitting with a man in a sport utility vehicle shortly after midnight when they got into a confrontation with several neighborhood residents, Pena said. Authorities said it was not known whether Price knew her assailant.

The man with Price was uninjured and drove her to a relative's house, where he called 911, authorities said. Price was then taken to a hospital, where she died.

The man with Price, Rolland Wormley, 28, was arrested for investigation of violating his parole and assault with a deadly weapon using a firearm. Sheriff's Deputy Bill Spear could not say whether the alleged assault involved Sunday's confrontation.

Wormley and Hammer were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether they had attorneys.

An assault rifle was found at the scene, and neighbors reported hearing six to 20 gunshots.

Price, one of five sisters who spent their early years in Compton, was a registered nurse who owned a beauty salon. She also served as a personal assistant to her famous half-sisters, who moved to Florida with their parents when they turned pro as teenagers.

The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family was overwhelmed with grief.

"We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde," the family said in the statement.

"She was our nucleus and our rock. She was personal assistant, confidant, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives," the statement said.

The tree-shaded street where Price died is lined with homes with barred windows. Residents say gunfire is a common weekend disruption.

Rodolfo Pulido, 35, who lives around the corner, was awakened by the shots but did not go outside. "Week after week, I hear gunfire. It's common," he said.

Price was one of five sisters who spent their early years in Compton.

She was divorced and had three children, Jair, 5; Justus, 9; and Jeffrey, 11. She had moved to Corona, 40 miles from Compton in neighboring Riverside County, and took her mother's maiden name a few years ago after her parents divorced. She recently opened a hair salon in nearby Lakewood with a high school friend.

"I can't believe it. There's not one evil thing you could say about this girl. She never hurt any person. She was a quiet person," said a friend, Sheriee Brown, 32, of Compton.

The five sisters were extremely close. Yetunde; Isha, a lawyer and singer; and Lyndrea, an actress and singer could often be seen in players' guest boxes and hotels with Venus and Serena.

When Venus and Serena Williams were children, Price was a caring, gentle role model. As recently as Wimbledon this summer, Price helped with her sisters' personal business matters, cheering them on, the big sister who stayed on the side and never showed any jealousy of their success.

Venus, eight years younger than Price, and Serena, a little more than nine years younger, often spoke about the gunshots they heard as they played tennis on public courts in Compton. When they turned professional as teenagers, they moved with their parents to Florida, in part for the courts and the coaching and in part to escape the violence.

Yet nothing -- not stardom nor distance nor the demands of travel -- weakened the bonds they felt toward their sisters. At Wimbledon in July, when Venus was injured during her semifinal and considered quitting, her mother and sisters encouraged her to play.

The poise Venus and Serena showed so young could be attributed as much to the influence of their older sisters as to the independence and religious devotion that their parents encouraged.

All five sisters are the daughters of Oracene Williams, who was previously married to the late Yusef A.K. Rasheed. She later married Richard Williams, father of Venus, 23, and Serena, who will be 22 next week.

"They don't regard themselves as half-sisters, they regard themselves as sisters," said Raymone Bain, a publicist for Serena. "The five girls are each others' best friends."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.