Gunman Kills 3, Wounds 1 on Sidewalk in South L.A.

A gunman with an assault-style rifle opened fire on a group of people standing on the sidewalk in front of a South Los Angeles home Friday afternoon, killing three, including a 7- or 8-year-old boy, and leaving a second boy in critical condition.

The shooting occurred in one of Los Angeles’ toughest neighborhoods, which is still plagued by gang violence despite a drop in other crime.

Police Chief William J. Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa went to the scene, and the mayor expressed dismay and anger.

“I was just particularly appalled and outraged that somebody in cold blood killed two children standing on the sidewalk,” Villaraigosa said, calling the incident “an absolute tragedy and one we just cannot accept.”

With the bodies still lying on the street nearby, along with shell casings, Villaraigosa and other community leaders said this case gave them pause, even in a city that recorded 487 killings last year.

“This is a family neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents the area. “I don’t care what the person thought. There is no explanation on this earth sufficient to explain why someone would do that.”

The slayings come as Bratton has tried to focus attention on gang warfare in South Los Angeles, which has remained a major problem despite the overall drop in crime citywide.

The area, around Central Avenue and 49th Street, lies within the Police Department’s Newton Division, where 127 people have been shot so far this year. That’s about a 3% increase from last year, though fatal shootings are down 14%.

On Friday night, detectives were trying to sort out a motive for the attack, which they described as brazen. The gunman drove down 49th Street in a large vehicle. He stopped at a small stucco home, jumped out of the car and started shooting, authorities said.

“He got out and fired numerous rounds with an assault-style rifle,” Officer Jason Lee said. “These type of rifles are extremely powerful and devastating.”

Neighbors -- who said they initially thought the shots were fireworks -- said the victims were all longtime residents of 49th Street. They said the young boy who died and the 12-year-old who was wounded were brothers. Their 21-year-old uncle was also slain, along with a 17-year-old neighbor who was visiting. Police, however, said late Friday that the three fatalities were relatives and the 12-year-old was visiting.

Neighbor Alejandra Rodriguez, 30, described the youngest victim as a playful child who was “nice and respectful,” adding that it was “unbelievable this has happened here.”

Miguel Aguilar, 10, said he raced to 49th Street from his home a few blocks away when he heard that his teammate on the local park’s soccer team had been slain.

Miguel said the boy played defense and was popular on the soccer field. “He was always laughing,” Miguel said. “He always liked to say ‘hi’ to everybody that would pass by.”

While detectives searched for clues, they said the shooting has some telltale signs.

“They were clearly the target,” said Assistant Police Chief George Gascon, adding that detectives have not ruled out a case of mistaken identity. They are also unclear about whether street gangs were involved.

Gascon said detectives checked the LAPD’s gang database and found that none of the victims had known gang affiliations.

“Nothing has occurred in the immediate neighborhood to point at this time to why this has occurred,” he said. “We believe the suspects are from around here.... We are confident we’ll get them before the weekend is over.”

Detectives said race will be one of the issues they will consider in their investigation. All the victims are Latino, while witnesses said the assailant was black.

Law enforcement officials have become increasingly concerned about shootings between black and Latino gang members -- violence that has also spilled into the Los Angeles County Jail system.

But on Friday, officials were quick to say they have no evidence that race was a motive in the attack.

“There is no information to believe that this is racially motivated,” Villaraigosa said.

Still, officers said they are urging residents not to retaliate and to let police do their job.

“This is something for law enforcement to take care of,” Gascon said. “We want to make sure we do not incite hate.”

The LAPD has struggled for years to reduce violence in the Newton Division. The number of homicides in the area has declined by a third in the last three years, but LAPD officials said it is still far too high.

“Even in the years when shootings were common ... [this] type of shooting was unusual,” Gascon said. “But nowadays, with less violence than ever, it is even more unusual.”

Neighbors said they had noticed no problems with the family whose members were shot. They said the father of the young boy who was killed is a truck driver and also has two daughters. The slain uncle ran a disc jockey business with the father, they added.

Claudia Garcia, 17, said that she has lived on 49th Street her entire life and that Friday’s violence was unlike any the area has seen in recent years. There were a few drive-by shootings several years ago, but more recently, crime seems to have dropped, she said.

“Lately, it hasn’t been that bad. It’s been getting better,” she said. “My block is pretty calm.... It’s just not as bad as people think.”

Late Friday, Councilwoman Perry said she would ask the city to offer a $75,000 reward to catch the killer, and the mayor said he would sign the request as soon as he received it. Detectives asked anyone with information on the shooting to call 800-LAWFULL.

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Times staff writer Arin Gencer contributed to this report.