Men Killed, Woman Hospitalized in Shootings

Two men were killed and a woman injured in northeast Los Angeles last Saturday in two unrelated shootings that had police searching for suspects early this week.

Javier Chavez, 23, was killed about 9:30 p.m. by a gunman wielding a semi-automatic rifle in what police believe was a drug deal gone sour, said Northeast Division Detective Sam Jacobellis.

Residents of an apartment building in the 200 block of South Avenue 50 near Figueroa Street in Highland heard knocks on their doors, followed by about a dozen gunshots. The tenants went outside to find Chavez dead on the second-story walkway, Jacobellis said.

Investigators believe Chavez was shot about eight times as he fled his apartment and began knocking on neighbors’ apartment doors to summon help, Jacobellis said.

Another tenant of the building, Josephina Rivera, 64, also was shot during the incident. Rivera, 64, had stepped outside her first-floor apartment and was struck by one of four bullets that penetrated the walkway, Jacobellis said.

Rivera underwent surgery at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and was listed in fair condition Wednesday.

Police said they believe the gunman was a Latino male, about 21 years old, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing between 130 and 150 pounds. They also were searching for witnesses in the apartment building or neighborhood, where drug trafficking is common, the detective said.

About 2 1/2 hours after Chavez was shot, Jorge Diaz, 36, was gunned down in the 2400 block of Yosemite Drive near Eagle Rock Boulevard in Eagle Rock, police said.

Diaz, a senior clerk in Kaiser Permanente’s regional offices in Pasadena, was getting into his car after visiting friends at their home when he was shot several times in the chest, Detective Sam Catalfamo said.

Diaz’s friends heard the shots and found the man lying in the driveway, his car door open and his keys still in hand, Catalfamo said. No property appeared to be missing.

Investigators are still seeking a motive for the shooting, but don’t believe it was gang-related, Catalfamo said. Police said they would not disclose the type of gun used until an autopsy is performed.