Woman Preparing Dinner in Kitchen Is Killed by Shots Fired Through Window

Sandra Davidson was cooking a chicken dinner for her mother when two shots were fired through the kitchen window screen of their tiny South-Central Los Angeles house Wednesday night.

One round passed through a carton of nonfat dry milk and into the kitchen wall. The other bullet struck Davidson, 25, in the head, fatally wounding her as she stood next to the sink, opening a can of vegetables.

Police on Thursday were seeking to identify suspects and a motive for the killing, which occurred about 9 p.m. in the 4800 block of South Avalon Boulevard.

Homeless Friend

A male friend of Davidson, who was also in the kitchen at the time, was not injured, authorities said.

On Thursday morning, tearful members of Davidson’s family described the man, identified only as Mike, as a homeless friend of Davidson whom she occasionally invited inside for a hot meal or a couch to sleep on.

The man may have been the target of some type of revenge attack, theorized the victim’s brother, Thomas Davidson, 27.

“The (attackers) must have heard them talking; they must have thought he was in the shadow and they pulled the trigger,” he said.

“We are looking into that particular angle,” Los Angeles Police Detective Adalberto Luper said. “We are still looking at several possibilities.

“Basically, we haven’t determined if they were after him or her. That’s still pending at this point.”

The window screen, at the side of the house, had powder burns around the bullet holes, indicating that the shots were fired at close range from an alley just outside the window, police said.

Sandra Davidson was described by family members as friendly and outgoing.

“She was a sweet child, she didn’t bother no one,” said her mother, Louise Davidson, 66.

“She’s too beautiful to be dead,” said her brother. “We used to go fishing on the weekends. We were going to go this weekend.”

While family members said the attackers may have been gang members, police said they were not initially investigating the shooting as a gang-related homicide.