LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office March 16 dropped its bid for the death penalty for an ex-con from Sylmar who’s charged with killing five people—most of them within less than a week—during a shooting spree in the San Fernando Valley six and-a-half years ago. Alexander Hernandez, now 40, is charged with the 2014 murders of Sergio Sanchez on March 14; Gilardo Morales on Aug. 21;  and Gloria Tovar, Michael Planells and Mariana Franco on Aug. 24, along with the 11 attempted murders, the bulk of which occurred between Aug. 20 to Aug. 24. Hernandez is also facing 11 counts of attempted murder, eight counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle, three counts of cruelty to an animal, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon and one count each of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and possession of ammunition by a felon. The prosecution …