Fracas at Mart Leaves 1 Dead; Man Arrested

An argument that ranged back and forth for several hours between gang members and two employees of a Pico-Union mini-market ended with one gang member killed, a second wounded and a store employee taken into custody as the shootings and the incidents that led to them are being investigated, officers said Sunday.

According to police reports and residents, a series of arguments erupted early Saturday evening between neighborhood Latino gang members and the shop’s employees.

Gang members got into a fight near the front of the store, said witnesses, and at one point an employee came out with a gun and apparently ordered them to leave. A short time later, gang members returned and fired six to 10 shots into the store, the police report said.

Police arrived, but about an hour after they left, the gang members came back, renewing the arguing in front of the store, according to the police report. It ended, police said, when an employee fired several shots at the gang members, fatally wounding Saul Merida, 26, and injuring another man.

The shop employee, whose name was not released, was taken into custody.

In the largely run-down neighborhood of old brick shops and apartments, the Providencia Mini Market stands out, the sign painted on its facade still fresh. Residents and nearby business operators said the corner building was spruced up several months ago and leased to Latino operators. By Sunday, the graffiti-stained metal shutters were locked tight. To use the pay phones outside, neighbors had to step over dried blood on the sidewalk.