Verbal confrontation preceded deadly 7-Eleven shooting, police say

A verbal confrontation led to a shooting outside a 7-Eleven convenience store in Van Nuys early Thursday. Two people were shot dead, Los Angeles police said.

The shooting occurred about 6 a.m. in the 8200 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard and was initially reported as an assault with a deadly weapon. Two men in their mid-20s had a verbal exchange with another group of two or three men, and guns were pulled and fired, according to LAPD Deputy Chief Jorge Villegas.

The two victims, who were not immediately identified, were found dead in the parking lot, police said. The brother of one of the victims, Deon Miles, said he was 19-year-old Deshawn Miles. The family lives nearby at the Palm Tree Motel.

A third victim, in his mid-20s, was struck and transported to a hospital, Villegas said. It is believed he was a bystander.

“We believe there are cameras and we should have captured video of, at the very least, people coming and going and hopefully of the actual incident itself,” Villegas said.

Witnesses reported seeing two men flee the scene westbound on Roscoe Boulevard toward the 405 Freeway.

The killings mark the third and fourth homicides in Van Nuys in the last year, according to the L.A. Times Homicide Report.
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