Suspect in Fatal Shooting of Boy Surrenders

Compton police said Tuesday that a 17-year-old gang member suspected of participating in the murder of a 5-year-old boy last week has surrendered.

Investigators said that the boy, Oscar Vega, was standing in front of his house at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, as his father was talking to neighborhood gang members, when a late-model turquoise hatchback sped up the street.

Gunfire erupted from the car, and one of the bullets intended for the gang members struck the boy in the back. He died in surgery at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center.

The next day, the 17-year-old suspect, accompanied by his mother, walked into the Compton police station and surrendered. He was booked for murder and attempted murder but has not been formally charged. Investigators are still searching for the second suspect, said Capt. Steven M. Roller.

“We are hoping that he assists us in the investigation,” Roller said. “I think the investigation is probably going to result in [the second suspect’s] arrest.”