Victim of Gang Shooting Dies; 5 Others Hurt

A gang member wounded last month in a shooting has died from his injuries, and five people were injured in two gang-related shootings late Friday night and early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Police said Valente Orosco, 20, died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of wounds he suffered in an Aug. 18 shooting in Los Angeles. Orosco was shot while standing in the 2900 block of West 14th Street in the mid-city area, police said.

In one of the latest rounds of gang violence, two suspected gang members were shot and wounded in an unincorporated area near Gardena as they walked out of the Barbary Coast club in the 143000 block of South Western Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Friday, police said.

Four men emerged from behind the building and asked the two victims, “What’s up, cuz?” an expression used to determine gang affiliation, said Sgt. Edward Allen of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

One of the suspects opened fire with a 9-millimeter pistol, and then the four men fled, Allen said.

The two victims, identified as Harrington McFrazier, 22, and Daniel Stapleton, 23, both of Watts, staggered to a nearby fast-food restaurant, where employees called paramedics.

Both men were taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. McFrazier, who suffered wounds in the stomach and a leg, was listed Saturday in serious but stable condition, Allen said. Stapleton, who suffered wounds in a leg and a hand, was in good condition.

No arrests had been made Saturday, Allen said.

In the second shooting, two youths and a man walking near 3rd and Center streets in San Pedro were wounded shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, when three men in a passing truck yelled “Waterfront Pirus,” the name of a local gang, and opened fire, said Police Lt. Richard Gonzales.

The victims--ages 15, 16 and 21--were struck by shotgun pellets, Gonzales said. Two rounds shattered a window of a nearby apartment but no one inside was hurt, he said.

Two of the victims were taken to San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, and the third was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. All three were listed in serious but stable condition Saturday, Gonzales said.

The suspects, believed to be gang members, had not been arrested, Gonzales said.