Updated at 8:55 a.m., April 17, 2015
Authorities Friday identified a man who was killed in a series of shootings in the Palms district that left four other men wounded.
The gunfire was first reported just before 3 p.m. Thursday, when two men were shot at Woodbine Park at Woodbine Street and Vinton Avenue, said Officer Jack Richter of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section.
One of those victims was pronounced dead at the scene, Richter said. He was identified Friday as 27-year-old Justin Aguilar, whose home town was not known, said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. The other victim was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
Moments after that shooting, another man was shot and critically wounded at the intersection of Motor and Vinton avenues. Then, two other men were shot at the intersection of Overland Avenue and National Boulevard, Richter said. Two of the three non-critical victims were released after hospital treatment, police said.
Police went on tactical alert about 3:30 p.m. to allow for deployment of resources as needed. The tactical alert, which allows officers to be kept on the job beyond the end of their shifts, was canceled about 7 p.m., police said.
Palms Middle School and Palms Elementary School were placed on temporary lockdown due to the shooting, according to Los Angeles school police.
It was unclear what prompted the gunfire or if it was gang-related. The shooting suspect was described only as a male. The vehicle was described as light-colored SUV, possibly a 1990s Mercury Mountaineer or Ford Explorer.
—City News Service