Gang Violence Wounds Woman, Son
A woman and her 5-year-old son, caught in gunfire believed to have been meant for someone else, were wounded Monday night west of Downtown Los Angeles in what police said was a gang-related shooting.
The child was in critical condition and undergoing surgery at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles after the shooting about 7 p.m. at Pico Boulevard near Berendo Street, police said.
The woman, identified as Vicenta Chavez, was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg and released to visit the boy in Childrens Hospital. The boy’s name was not immediately available.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division would say only that a black Mercedes apparently was shot at. A witness said the victims were standing on a street corner when someone fired at a passing car and they were hit by random shots.
“It was definitely a gang thing and these people just happened to be in the way but, we still are working on the details and we don’t have anyone in custody,” said police Sgt. Michael Blackburn.
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