2 Men Slain, 3rd Hurt in Burbank Shooting

Two gunmen stepped from a car at a busy Burbank intersection and pumped gunshots into another auto carrying three men Tuesday, killing two of them and wounding a third in an attack that had all the markings of a planned execution, authorities said.

Police Chief Dave Newsham said it appeared that the killers used semiautomatic weapons in the attack, which took place at a red light at San Fernando Road and Hollywood Way shortly after 3 p.m.

Burbank Police Lt. Jack Valento said the killing did not appear to be a gang-related incident, but did appear planned. “It was something that was not spontaneous,” he said.

None of the victims, all described as Latino males in their mid- to late 20s, had been identified late Tuesday, Valento said.

The gunmen approached the victims’ white Chevy Impala from behind on the southbound side of San Fernando Road, walked up to the rear of the car and opened fire on the occupants, authorities said.

It was unclear how many shots were fired, but one witness said he heard at least three or four. The rear window was shattered by gunfire, and there was at least one bullet hole in the right rear passenger window.

Police Lt. Larry Koch said there were “several witnesses who saw all of this or a portion of it.”

The wounded driver continued about a mile to a fast-food restaurant in the 2600 block of San Fernando Road, where police found the bodies of his two passengers in the parking lot. They were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

The driver was treated at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank for a minor gunshot wound to the back and released, Valento said.

Burbank police logged five murders in 1993, Valento said.