2 in Family Fatally Shot, 2 Injured Near Griffith Park

A 42-year-old Burbank woman and her teenage daughter were killed, and two other daughters seriously injured, when gunshots were fired into their car from another car near Griffith Park on Thursday night, authorities said.

The victims were found about 8:30 p.m. in a minivan on the Riverside Drive bridge over the Los Angeles River, just off the Ventura Freeway, Los Angeles city Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Two girls, 14 and 16, had gunshot wounds to the head and were transported to local hospitals, where they were listed in serious condition, he said. The 16-year-old girl had a gunshot wound to her face and the bullet had gone through her teeth, Humphrey said.

The van was parked in the roadway and did not seem to have been in a collision, he added. Police ruled out road rage as a motive, and said the shooting was not gang related. They declined to elaborate. Officer Don Cox would say only that the shots came from another car.

Humphrey said the girls all appeared to be daughters of the victim, but their names were not immediately available.

Police in helicopters and patrol cars were looking for a car seen leaving the area. California Highway Patrol officers closed the Victory Boulevard onramp to the westbound Ventura Freeway to investigate the crime scene.

Sgt. Ronald Lopez of the LAPD’s Northeast station said he didn’t know if anyone witnessed the shooting.