A 15-year-old boy was shot to death near a mall in Cerritos.
The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday in the 18600 block of Gridley Road, across the street from the Los Cerritos Center, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, sheriff’s officials said.
Family members who spoke with broadcast news media and the Medical Examiner’s office identified the teen as Darnell Jones.
“Darnell was a good boy. He was just a kid, and he got murdered by another kid,” his father, Tyrell Jones, told NBC4.
The sheriff’s department stated that the boy was involved in an altercation outside a business with the suspect, who fled on foot after the shooting. The department could not confirm any details about the shooter.
Anyone with information was asked to call detectives at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.