4 Men Shot on Skid Row; Drugs Hinted

Four men, one of them in a wheelchair, were shot and wounded Friday night in front of a Main Street parking lot on Los Angeles’ Skid Row.

A gunman jumped into a getaway car and escaped after firing at least six shots into the group, according to one witness.

Although no motive for the shooting was immediately determined, witnesses reported seeing money scattered on the sidewalk after the shooting, suggesting that a drug deal may have gone sour.

Three of the men were wounded in the abdomen and one was shot in the leg. One was reported in critical condition, two were listed as seriously wounded and the fourth was stable, hospital officials said later.

The shooting occurred across the street from the Union Rescue Mission.

According to police investigators, the men were standing in front of the gated lot about 6:30 p.m. when the shots rang out.

One witness, who asked not to be identified, said he was about 20 yards away when the firing broke out.

The victims, he said, “dropped like flies” as the shots rang out.

The same witness said he saw the gunman run to a car and speed away.

Names of the victims were not immediately disclosed.