Bystander Wounded by Officer Firing at Member of Gang

An unarmed bystander was in critical condition today after being shot by a Los Angeles police officer who fired at a gang member who had pointed a gun at the officer, police said.

Lt. Charles Higbie said Officer Douglas Senecal, 37, had approached a group of youths near a 92nd Street home early today when one of them pointed a handgun at him. Senecal fired, but the shot missed and struck Nikita Broadnix, 20.

Broadnix, struck in the head, was in critical condition at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, Higbie said. It was not clear whether he was connected with the gang members, police said.