Two men found shot to death in SUV in South L.A. alley

Homicide detectives are investigating the deaths of two men found fatally shot in an SUV in a South Los Angeles alleyway.

Police responded to a call of shots fired near Florence and Cimarron avenues shortly before 10 p.m. Friday, said LAPD Officer Sarah Dunster of the 77th Street Division.

They found the men in a Nissan Murano parked in an alley behind a home. Both had been shot in the head, Dunster said.

Coroner’s officials identified one of the men as Dorian Hernandez, 42, of Los Angeles. The name of the other man, described as a black male in his 40s, is being withheld pending notification of his family.

Several shell casings were found outside the vehicle, Dunster said. No suspects have been identified, she said.

Ever Jackson, who bought a home next to the alley about four months ago, said she was reading in bed when she heard five or six gunshots. She immediately called police.

“I was very much afraid,” she said.

The Manchester Square neighborhood has seen a jump in violent crime recently and is ranked ninth of 209 communities in Los Angeles County for violent crime, according to The Times crime mapping database.

Manchester Square’s rate of 274 crimes per 10,000 people over the last six months has exceeded the nearby neighborhoods of Westmont and Vermont Vista.

Twitter: @cmaiduc

christine.maiduc@latimes.com