Teen girl fatally shot near South L.A. hamburger stand

A 15-year-old girl was fatally shot in South Los Angeles on Friday, officials said.

The shooting occurred about 9 p.m. near the intersection of 78th Street and Western Avenue.

The girl was shot in the torso and taken to a hospital, where she eventually died, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

An LAPD lieutenant said the victim’s mother held onto her daughter as they rode to the hospital. The lieutenant said the mother was distraught but it is unclear whether she witnessed the shooting.

Events leading up to the shooting are unknown. It apparently occurred near a burger stand. Several people gathered near the scene after the shooting, video shows, but police had a hard time finding any witnesses.

Police returned to the scene Saturday morning to see if they could recover surveillance video from the burger stand.

Preliminary reports indicated that a male in a hooded sweatshirt was seen running south on Western Avenue after the shooting.

Authorities released no further details, including the victim’s identity. Family members at the scene Saturday, however, said the victim was Hannah Bell.

A woman who identified herself as the victim’s aunt told KTLA that her niece was “innocent.”

“I can’t see her get married, I cannot see her go to college ... because some person took her life away,” Karen Winzer said.

Other members of the victim’s family said she was waiting in line to order at the restaurant when she was shot.

“She just came here to get a hamburger,” Teresa Arnold, who identified herself as a friend of the family, told KTLA. “And her mother is stricken with grief right now because she’s blaming herself for bringing her here to get a hamburger.”