Youth Killed in Drive-By Shooting at Park; Police Suspect Gang Link
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in a crowded Venice park Tuesday afternoon in what authorities were investigating as a gang-related murder.
Los Angeles Police Detective Mike Berchem said the youth and several friends were at a picnic table in Glenalla Park near Glencoe Avenue and AllaRoad about 2:30 p.m. when several shots were fired from a passing car. One of the bullets struck the victim in the chest, he said.
The youth was pronounced dead at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, police said.
“He was apparently with several friends, minding his own business, when the car pulled up about 75 feet away and the shots were fired,” Berchem said.
Investigators said that the small park was full of people at the time of the shooting but that no one else was hit. Several witnesses said that the shooting occurred without warning, adding that there had been no exchange between the victim and anyone in the car, police said.
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