2 Men Shot to Death in Compton

Two men were fatally shot Wednesday evening in a parked car outside a Compton restaurant shortly after finishing dinner, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies found the bodies near the Tacos El Sinaloense restaurant at 6:15 p.m. By Thursday afternoon, investigators had identified one victim, but did not release the 36-year-old’s name. The other man may be between 55 and 60 years old, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Patrick Tapia.

Josefina Salas, the owner of the restaurant in the 4800 block of East Rosecrans Avenue, said the two men ate tacos and talked for an hour at an outdoor table. A few minutes after the men left the table, customers heard gunshots.

“When we went to look outside, we saw one man inside the car, dying,” said Salas, 55, who has run the restaurant for 20 years. “The other man was laying next to the car with blood everywhere.”

Both men had several gunshot wounds in the upper body, Tapia said.

Robert Saldano, who lives near the restaurant, said he heard between nine and 12 gunshots. The men later died at hospitals, said sheriff’s Deputy William Spear.

Police said they had no motive for the shooting.