Teenager Held in Fatal Neighborhood Melee

An ongoing neighborhood feud on a South Los Angeles street erupted in gunfire Monday night, leaving a woman dead and a boy wounded, police said Tuesday.

A 16-year-old girl was arrested and charged with murder, said Det. Vic Corella.

The violence began about 7:30 p.m. when the girl was leaving a house on West 45th Street and began arguing with the neighbors, the detective said. A brawl involving eight to 10 people ensued. At one point the girl drew a handgun and started shooting, he said.

Shante Gallavery, 19, died a short time after arriving at County-USC Medical Center, said spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda. A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the abdomen was in critical condition but improving Tuesday, she said. Police said he was a bystander. Another woman suffered a broken leg during the fight.

Most of the residents in the old, well-tended neighborhood were reluctant to talk about the melee. A neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity said that an argument escalated into an all-out fistfight.

“The teenager was fighting with the family,” the neighbor said Tuesday.

Another resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the neighborhood was usually peaceful.

He added wistfully: “It’s the way you choose to live. If you choose to live the right way it’ll help you live longer,” then pointing to the shooting scene, “if you choose the wrong way. . . .”