3 people found dead in Skid Row apartment; drugs suspected

Three people who may have overdosed on drugs were found dead Wednesday inside an apartment building in the Skid Row area.

The bodies of two men and one woman were discovered Wednesday afternoon inside 649 Lofts, a building in the 600 block of Wall Street, near Sixth Street, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters responded to the building on reports of the three individuals unconscious and not breathing, authorities said.

An investigation was continuing, but a fire department spokesman described the deaths as “suspected overdoses,” noting that the coroner’s office will make the final determination. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to reports from the scene, fire officials responded to the same location around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday due to a possible overdose victim. That person regained consciousness but declined to be taken to a hospital, according to the reports.

The property is owned by Skid Row Housing Trust, a nonprofit housing provider, according to The Times.

The city filed a petition last Thursday seeking the establishment of a public health and safety receivership for the trust after it announced it was unable to continue operating its 29 buildings.

A tenant at 649 Lofts with arthritis and nerve damage told The Times last month that she was trapped for more than two weeks on the fifth floor after the elevator broke down, and that intruders were common.

In Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, Steven Son, a deputy city attorney, described the situation as a “humanitarian emergency,” adding that conditions have deteriorated in the buildings so much that there are “truly life safety issues,” according to The Times.

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