2 Shot to Death in Drive-By Attack

Two men were shot and killed Sunday afternoon, victims of an apparently random drive-by shooting at a busy Palmdale intersection, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

Witnesses told deputies they heard several shots at about 12:40 p.m. near the intersection of 5th Street East and Avenue Q-6, then saw a blue Geo Metro drive down the street and into a nearby gas station.

The driver of the car, Willie Perkins Jr., 25, was pronounced dead at the scene after he plowed into another vehicle parked at the gas station. Deputies said Perkins, a Palmdale resident, apparently was shot while he was driving.

Another man, who was not identified, was struck by a stray bullet as he walked along 5th Street East. He died six hours later at a local hospital, deputies said.

Deputies were investigating the incident Sunday evening and searching for suspects.