A person in his late 40s was gunned down within the parking zone of a Hawthorne shopping mall on Monday evening, Aug. 12. However, investigators don’t imagine he was the intended victim, authorities said.
The shooting occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. within the 12700 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, near El Segundo Boulevard, because the victim was leaving a liquor store, said Lt. Steven De Jong of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the investigation.
One suspect is in custody and investigators are trying to find at the least two others, De Jong said.
Just before 9:30 p.m., a gaggle of individuals were standing outside the South Liquor Bank when a automotive pulled into the parking zone and two men got out, De Jong said. One of the suspects began shooting “indiscriminately” on the group. They each got back within the automotive and the driving force sped away.
The shooting is believed to be gang-related, but De Jong said the victim, believed to be a Hawthorne resident, was an innocent bystander with no gang ties and died on the scene.
“There were a lot of people loitering in the parking lot,” De Jong said, adding that the shooting was captured on video. “He was just walking through when he was shot.”
A Hawthorne police officer on patrol near El Segundo and Crenshaw boulevards heard gunshots and saw the vehicle drive away, De Jong said. A temporary pursuit of the vehicle resulted in the 2000 block of Century Boulevard, where the driving force, believed to not be the shooter, was arrested.
The other two men ran away from the vehicle sooner or later in the course of the pursuit and authorities arrange a barricade but didn’t find the suspects, the lieutenant said.
The identity of the victim has not been made public pending notification of his relatives.
Anyone with information in regards to the shooting is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous suggestions might be made through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Originally published:
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