Body of Suspected Gang Member, 16, Found

Authorities on Saturday discovered the body of a 16-year-old Canoga Park youth who had been shot several times in the head.

The body of Ruben Honorato Mendoza, a suspected gang member, was found in an alley behind an apartment complex in the 21800 block of Roscoe Boulevard about 5:10 a.m. in Canoga Park, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Rick Swanston.

Witnesses told police they had seen Mendoza talking to a pair of youths earlier, Swanston said. No arrests had been made Saturday.

Detectives said they are investigating whether the shooting was connected to the July 8 slaying of Ismael Diaz, 18, who was killed by a passenger in a late-model Mercedes-Benz who shot Diaz outside an apartment complex at 20327 Saticoy St. in Winnetka.