Man Slain in New Year’s Day Drive-By

The first homicide of the year in the San Fernando Valley, and the third in Los Angeles County, was the result of a drive-by shooting on a quiet residential street early Thursday.

At the dawn of the new year, two Burbank police officers making a traffic stop heard several shots about a quarter-mile away. The officers drove to the 1400 block of Clybourne Avenue, where residents, who had also heard shots, flagged the officers down and told them of a drive-by shooting down the street.

There they found a man lying dead on the curb with a gunshot wound to the head.

Sgt. Eric Rosoff said the victim had not been identified.

Police have no suspects, vehicle description, eyewitnesses or motives for the shooting, Rosoff said.

Burbank officers have asked Los Angeles police officials to keep them informed of any missing persons who could be linked to the victim.

Coroner’s officials initially thought the slaying was the county’s first of the year and assigned it Case No. 98-1. Later the coroner’s office learned the first homicide of 1998 occurred in East Los Angeles.