Stray gunfire kills 8-year-old girl
An 8-year-old girl was shot and killed in South Los Angeles on Wednesday as she sat on the front stoop of an apartment building, an apparent victim of stray gunfire, authorities say.
The attack occurred at 8:45 p.m. at 76th and San Pedro streets as the girl sat with a crowd of people. Witnesses told police that two teenage males approached the crowd and began firing.
LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said one of the men, armed with a rifle, “fired one shot toward the group of people and hit the child in the chest.”
The girl, who has not yet been identified, was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, police said.
One witness told KNBC-TV Channel 4 that she heard the gunfire and then saw the girl being held by her mother. Capt. Dennis Kato said it appeared that the gunmen were firing at a group of male youths nearby.
The gunmen reportedly escaped through a nearby alley.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
