1 Killed, 7 Hurt in Gunfire

One man was killed and at least seven other people were wounded Sunday night when a long-simmering feud between residents in a Lake View Terrace neighborhood erupted in gunfire, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

A man armed with a pistol wounded a 12-year-old boy, four men and two women shortly after 8 p.m. in the 12900 block of Corcoran Street, police said.

Foothill Division officers said several of the victims were from the same family.

The wounded were taken to local hospitals. The boy was in satisfactory condition, police said. One man died at a hospital but the conditions of the other victims were not immediately known.

Capt. Kirk Albanese told KABC Channel 7 that police believed the shooting was the result of an “ongoing neighbor dispute.”

“Some of those shot are gang members, but we don’t believe this incident is motivated by gang violence,” he said. “This is an issue between two families who live on the same street who don’t like each other.”

Police said a large group of people had gathered outside a residence and a fistfight broke out among about 15 people. But there were conflicting reports among police about who was involved in the fight and subsequent shooting.

LAPD spokesman Don Cox said “preliminary reports are that this was a dispute between a local area gang and a tagging crew.” Tagging crews typically are groups known for spray-painting graffiti but fall short of being considered organized gangs by police.

The shooter is a suspected gang member who does not live on the block, police said. Witnesses told police that the man pulled out handgun and fired as many as 15 shots. The man then fled in a car, police said.

Police were investigating whether someone in the crowd exchanged gunfire with the suspect, perhaps firing a shotgun.

Times staff writer Eric Slater contributed to this report.