A 13-year-old boy was killed and two other people were injured, including a 9-year-old girl, in a shooting in Wilmington late Monday afternoon, the authorities said.
Los Angeles police and fire services responded to the scene at the intersection of North Blinn Avenue and East Denni Streets around 4:45 p.m., said Officer Mike Lopez, a Los Angeles police spokesman.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, Lopez said.
The boy was a passenger in a Dodge Durango who was driven by the third victim of the shooting, a woman around 20, LAPD Capt said. Adrian Gonzalez on Monday evening for the Daily Breeze.
The SUV was stopped when two armed suspects approached and opened fire, Gonzalez said. The woman drove away before pulling up to the 800 block on Eubank Avenue, where someone called 911.
Paramedics took the boy and woman to a trauma center where the boy was pronounced dead, Gonzalez told the Breeze. The woman was in critical condition but was stable and had an operation.
Information about the relationship between the woman and the boy was not available on Monday night.
A 9-year-old girl who was playing near Wilmington Park Elementary School was hit by a stray bullet, resulting in a separate 911 call, Gonzalez told Breeze. The Los Angeles Fire Department initially reported the calls as two separate shooting scenes, but police later clarified that there was a single location.
Director Luis Rivera confirmed that the girl is a fourth grade student, according to Breeze. She was in an after-school program when she was shot.
Classes will be held on Tuesday with additional security measures, the Breeze reported. Advisors are also available for students and employees.
Investigators determined whether there were any other suspects in addition to the two armed people approaching the Dodge, Gonzalez told the Breeze. A motive was not known on Monday night.
The three victims are Wilmington residents, but Breeze said none lived in the neighborhood where the shooting took place.
“I am appalled at the gun violence that hit the Wilmington community tonight,” said LA district manager Janice Hahn, who represents Wilmington. “It’s such a tragedy. Gun violence destroyed too many lives in this country and it terrorized another community tonight. I pray for this little boy’s family and for the little girl and young woman’s recovery. “
LA councilman Joe Buscaino, whose borough is Wilmington, said the community was in grief and that parks and playgrounds should be safe havens for families.
“Nobody should be a victim of violence, especially not children,” said Buscaino. “Los Angeles must become a city better equipped to protect our most vulnerable and a city better equipped to hold those who would commit such heinous acts to account.”
This is a development story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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