Gang Gunfire Kills 4 in County

Four people, including three teenagers, have died in gang-related shootings in unincorporated south Los Angeles County since the year began, authorities said Friday.

The first to die was a 16-year-old boy who was killed at Wilmington Boulevard and 126th Street about 2:15 p.m. Thursday. A gunman approached him and asked about drugs, Deputy Brian Lendman said.

“A 16- to 20-year-old male ... asked the victim where he could ‘buy some weed,’ ” Lendman said. When the victim began to walk away, the man shot him.

Police have no suspects.

Less than two hours later, two men in a sport utility vehicle rolled up to two alleged gang members in East Rancho Dominguez and opened fire, Lendman said.

An 18-year-old man standing in the frontyard of a home in the 14500 block of Harris Avenue died at a local hospital. His friend was hospitalized.

The third killing occurred just after 6 p.m. Thursday in the 3100 block of West 145th Street in El Camino Village. A 16-year-old boy, standing with friends, was shot by someone who approached and said something about gang affiliation, Lendman said.

Investigators believe the shootings were committed by gang members, although the two 16-year-olds were not known to be in gangs, said Capt. Frank Merriman, head of the sheriff’s homicide bureau.

The violence continued Friday, when an unidentified man was shot in the county area of Rosewood. The shooting was reported at 11 a.m. in the 1400 block of East 142nd Street, according to Deputy Ramiro Juarez.

In the area patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department, 346 people were killed last year, compared with 330 in 2000, Merriman said. About half the shootings were gang-related, he said.

The increase has been more dramatic in the city of Los Angeles, which had 660 homicides last year, a 10% increase over 2001.

Since Jan. 1, three people have been killed in the city of Los Angeles. One of them was 21-year-old Pearlina Laporte, who was seven months pregnant. She was killed Jan. 1 in a drive-by shooting in Watts.