SOUTHLAND : 3 Held in Boy’s July 4 Shooting
Three gang members have been arrested in a July 4 shooting that left a toddler partially paralyzed and prompted an outcry from the South-Central Los Angeles neighborhood where the shooting took place, police announced today.
As the result of what police called anonymous tips, Jose Baires, 21, and Gustavo Fajardo, 24, both of Los Angeles, were arrested at a Wilshire-area motel on Saturday. A third suspect, Ruther Brown, 21, also of Los Angeles, surrendered to law enforcement authorities this morning, said Deputy Chief William Rathburn of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Two-year-old Brandon Lott was sitting on the trunk of a car and watching fireworks at a family gathering on the 2300 block of Gramercy at 10:30 p.m. when four shots were fired from a car.
“This was a gang-related drive-by shooting, and Brandon was certainly not the intended target,” said Rathburn, who said police believe it was in retaliation for a shooting in another neighborhood.
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