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View Winners → Crime Aug 26, 2023
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In addition to a fatal shooting in Pasadena, arrests in the killing of a teen in Boyle heights and a mass shooting at a bar in LA-adjacent Orange County, a number of other incidents involving firearms took place over the last seven days in the Los Angeles area.
Fight escalates into shooting, injures five In Pasadena
At least five people were injured when gunfire broke out during a fight in Pasadena Friday evening, police said.
Officers responded to the 100 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard at 7:33 p.m. to reports about shots fired, according to Pasadena Police Department Public Information Officer Monica Cuellar.
Detectives discovered at least five victims involved in the shooting in the residential parking lot.
Cuellar said that four of those victims were transported to a hospital, while the fifth person took themselves to the hospital.
The conditions of the victims were not immediately available.
Cuellar said the investigation was ongoing, and no suspects were taken into custody.
One person killed in North Hollywood shooting
A man was fatally shot Friday in North Hollywood.
Officers responded to the 6100 block of Carpenter Avenue around 3:25 p.m. to a report of shots fired and found the unidentified victim, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
CBS2 reported that the victim was in his 50s, was shot across the street from his home and died at the scene.
There was no suspect description, and no immediate information on what led up to the fatal shooting.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Man shot, hospitalized in Panorama City
A 22-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting Thursday in Panorama City and the suspect is at large.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to 8334 Willis Ave. north of Roscoe Boulevard just after midnight on a shots fired call, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service. Upon the officers’ arrival, they were told the victim was standing on the street with his girlfriend when a car drove up to them and shot the victim.
The victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The suspect drove away from the scene, and there was no suspect or vehicle description.
Whittier police arrest man in killing of 19-year-old woman
A 20-year-old man was in custody Wednesday on suspicion of murder and kidnapping in the fatal shooting of a young woman at Penn Park in Whittier over the weekend, police announced.
Gabriel Esparza of Whittier was arrested Monday afternoon at his workplace in Lakewood, the Whittier Police Department said Tuesday — one day after the body of Andrea Vazquez, 19, was found in Moreno Valley.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office Wednesday for the possible filing of charges.
Esparza, who was booked on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, was being held without bail, according to police, who said a weapon believed to have been used in the crime has been recovered. Esparza’s vehicle, a 2013 White Toyota Tacoma truck, has also been recovered, police said.
According to police, the shooting occurred early Sunday morning, shortly after midnight, at the parking stalls area of Penn Park at 13950 Penn St.
“An adult male witness reported that while at the park with an adult female companion, an armed suspect approached their vehicle and fired a weapon in their direction,” police said in a statement.
“The male witness ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle and his female companion was missing,” police said.
On Monday, police sought the public’s help to find Vazquez. On Tuesday afternoon, police announced the arrest.
“Throughout the investigation, an ongoing search for Andrea Vazquez took place in large open land areas of Moreno Valley,” police said.
“At 11:50 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2023, detectives located the body of Andrea Vasquez in a vegetation field off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley,” police added. “At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and her male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park.”
Agencies also involved in the investigation included the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey Police Department, and the La Habra Police Department.
“Detectives are not disclosing any additional details at this time because the investigation is ongoing,” police said.
Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the police tipline at 562-567-9299.
Man hospitalized after being shot in his car in Reseda
A man is his 30s was shot in Reseda and authorities Wednesday are searching for the shooter.
Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to a shots fired call at 10 p.m. Tuesday to 18422 Vanowen St. between Reseda Boulevard and Darby Avenue where they learned the victim was sitting in his car when a man drove up to him and ordered him out of his car, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service.
The suspect then shot the suspect and ran away, leaving his car at the scene.
The victim was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, police said.
There was no suspect description.
Deputies investigate fatal shooting in Compton
A man was shot and killed Wednesday in Compton, and an investigation was underway.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded at 3:09 a.m. to the 1000 block of Willowbrook Avenue, south of Rosecrans Avenue, where they found the man, said homicide Lt. Miguel Gomez.
According to the sheriff’s department, the man, presumed to be in his 30s or 40s, sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Information was not immediately available on his identity.
There was no suspect information.
Anyone with information about this shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477, and tips can be sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
Teen shot to death in North Hills
A 15-year-old boy was killed Monday morning in a shooting at an apartment in the North Hills area of Los Angeles.
The shooting was reported just after 1:30 a.m. in an apartment at 15532 Nordhoff St., said Officer A. Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head, Delatorre said.
The Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner’s office identified Devonte White as the shooting victim. The cause of death was from a gunshot wound to the head.
Suspect information was not immediately available, he said.
It was not known whether the shooting was gang-related, Delatorre said.
Shots fired into home in Long Beach
No one was injured when shots were fired Sunday into a home in Long Beach, authorities said.
Officers dispatched at about 4:55 a.m. to a residence at East Ellis Street and Chestnut Avenue regarding a negligent discharge of a firearm, the Long Beach Police Department reported.
They located bullet casings and strike marks indicating that a shooting had occurred, police said.
No injuries were reported. Police had no suspect information and the motive for the shooting was unknown.
Man killed, 2 men wounded in Vermont-Slauson shooting
A 55-year-old man was killed and two men were wounded in a shooting in the Vermont-Slauson area of Los Angeles.
The man was identified as Grant Lyons by the Medical Examiner’s office. Lyons died in a yard.
The shooting was reported at 6:56 p.m. Aug. 19 on the at 3800 block of West 58th Place, according to a dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center.
The three men were standing in front of the house when an unknown suspect opened fire at them, striking all three before fleeing, she said.
Lyons was pronounced dead at the scene, the dispatcher said.
A 44-year-old man and a 64-year-old man took themselves to a hospital for treatment and had stable vital signs, she said.
