Victim of Shooting in Panorama City Identified

As police identified one man killed by a gunman who opened fire into a carload of youths in Panorama City on Friday, another victim who was hit three times amid the volley of bullets fought for his life.

Carlos Christian Mejia, 18, of North Hollywood, died inside the Honda Accord that he and four others were sitting in near the Sepulveda Recreation Center, police said Saturday. Three others were injured.

Miguel Becerra, 20, was in critical condition at a local hospital Saturday after being shot in the stomach, back and hip.

His mother, Luisa Becerra, said Saturday that the last time she spoke with her son, he was heading out Friday night with a girl.

He is a tall, slender young man who she said works at a local construction company and likes partying at dance clubs.

“I told him to be careful,” said Becerra, a North Hollywood mother of three. “I didn’t want anything to happen to them.”

Becerra’s parents kept vigil at a local hospital Saturday.

“He squeezed my hand and said he wanted water,” said his father, Margarito. “I don’t care who did it. I just want my son to recuperate.”

Two teenage girls in the car suffered minor graze wounds, but were able to run to a nearby house after the attack, said Officer Guillermo Campos, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. Another girl escaped harm.

The shooting appears to have been gang-related, police said. But detectives have not determined whether any of the victims had gang ties.

Luisa Becerra said her son has never been involved with gangs.

Sgt. Robert Davis of the LAPD’s Devonshire division said Friday that the assailant had asked whether or not the victims were gang members, and when they replied no, he shot them.

No arrests have been made in the attack, which came moments after a man was injured in a drive-by shooting six blocks away. Detectives are investigating whether the same suspects committed both crimes.

At the Sepulveda Recreation Center on Saturday, there were no overt reminders of Friday night’s violence, as street vendors sold snacks and groups of youths with shaved heads lounged in the shade of a tree.

A woman sitting on the bleachers said residents have grown accustomed to hearing gunfire and police helicopters at night in their neighborhood.

“You don’t really know what’s going on. You just stay in your house. You wonder, ‘Did somebody get shot?’ ” said Johanna Escalante, 21, of North Hills.