Man Slain, Friend Hurt in Shooting at House

A 20-year-old man was killed and his female companion wounded by gunfire in a shooting on a residential Koreatown street Tuesday night.

The victims were among a group of about five people who were sitting on the front steps of a house at 11th Street and South Serrano Avenue about 9:30 p.m., according to Los Angeles police.

A man approached the group and asked if they were in a gang, said LAPD spokesman Trev Stokes. Although they said no, the man pulled out a handgun and started shooting.

The 20-year-old died at the scene; the 17-year-old girl was in critical condition, said Stokes. The names of both victims were being withheld by police.

None of the others in the group was hit, said Stokes, adding that police were not sure if anyone in the group was in a gang.

A makeshift memorial stood at the murder scene Wednesday morning: a cluster of flowers and candles amid foam coffee cups left on the steps.

“I think everyone in the neighborhood is shocked,” said Abel Navar, who heard the gunfire from her apartment building. “I’ve been here for a long time and we’ve never had any problems on this street. Nothing like this at least.”