Three suspects were still at large Wednesday after a possibly gang-related shooting in South Los Angeles that left five people wounded, including one in critical condition, authorities said.
Officers responded around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to reports of shots fired near Manchester Avenue and Figueroa Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police told City News Service on Wednesday that the victims were approached by three suspects who shot them and drove away. No vehicle description was provided.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took four victims to a hospital. The fifth injured person chose to self-transport to the hospital, a department official told the Los Angeles Times. One victim was still in critical condition, while the others were said to have stable vital signs.
Police said four victims were male and one was female. All the victims were between the ages of 19 and 35.
“This incident of violence has disrupted the peace and will absolutely not be tolerated,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Tuesday. “I’m working with community leaders and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell to prevent future incidents.
“LAPD will increase their presence in South LA. Community violence interventionists are working to de-escalate community tensions and support victims and their families in the aftermath of these tragic events,” the mayor added. “I call on all neighbors, residents and young people to be peaceful. We will come together and we will support one another.”
Police said additional resources would be deployed around the location of the shooting for the next week, and the situation will be reassessed after the weekend.
“You look at the shooting that occurred about 2:30 this afternoon — there’s a school right across the street,” McDonnell told reporters at a news conference. “That’s the time, generally, the school is letting out. The senselessness, and the callousness of where they did it and when they did it — it should really hit all of us.”
Anyone with information on the shooting was urged to call the LAPD South Bureau Homicide Division at 323-786-5080.