Gang Shooting Victim Dies

A Hawthorne teen-ager has died after being shot once in the head as he and two companions argued with rival gang members on a street corner, authorities said Saturday.

The victim, Kenny Tuihalamaka, 15, died at 3:20 p.m. Friday at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was taken after the Thursday night shooting at 132nd Street and Cordary Avenue near Hawthorne.

Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Hunter said the youth and two other gang members drove past the intersection at about 8 p.m. and became embroiled in an argument with two youths standing on the corner. Words were exchanged and the three teen-agers drove off, Hunter said.

Minutes later, the car returned to the street corner and the shouting continued until one of the two rival gang members pulled a handgun and fired a shot that struck the teen-ager in the head. The bullet went through Tuihalamaka and struck the car’s driver, Anthony Han, 18, of Torrance in the hand.

The suspects, also teen-agers, fled after the shooting and no arrests have been made, Hunter said Saturday.