Man Slain in Stanton; Two Questioned

A 21-year-old man was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon after apparently trying to walk away from a fight at a Cerritos Avenue apartment, police said.

At 4:10 p.m., officers responding to a call about shots fired in the 8600 block of Cerritos Avenue found the Stanton man sprawled near a sidewalk of an apartment complex, Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson said. The man had been shot in the chest and died at the scene, investigators said. Police did not release his name pending family notification.

The shooting occurred within several yards of a lawn on which children were playing, but none were injured.

Witnesses told police they had seen the victim standing with several other men on the sidewalk when suddenly the man was shot as he walked away from the group, Wilkerson said.

At least two men believed to be involved in the shooting were seen driving away in a blue Honda, investigators said.

A few minutes later, sheriff’s deputies spotted a car with a similar description and license plate number a few blocks away near Pacific Avenue and Tina Way, and watched the car from a short distance away.

“Two men approached the car and were taken into custody,” Wilkerson said. “We are questioning them.”

The two men were being questioned but had not been booked as of Wednesday evening, and the investigation is ongoing. Deputies said they have not recovered a weapon in the case.