Keep an Eye on This...

[ciscokid]

Everyone in the LA area should keep an eye out on this story. The Southwest area of South LA is predominently African-American yet, like most other sections of LA, is seeing a tremendous amount of Latinos moving in. By most accounts the suspects in this shooting are African-American and probably mistook the adult Latino victim as a member of the 18th street gang. Tensions continue to brew thorughout the city so we'll see what happens.....................


Toddler Fatally Shot, Father Wounded Outside Home
Police search for suspects.

LOS ANGELES, September 25, 2006 - A three-year-old girl was killed and her father was seriously injured Sunday when two men drove up to their apartment and started shooting as the family got out of their car.


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Cesar Avila, 24, suffered several gunshot wounds to his torso, and was taken to UCLA Medical Center. His daughter, Kaitlyn, was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"What did they shoot her for?" Kaitlyn's cousin, Jesus Rodriguez, 14, said. "She's a little girl. She didn't do anything wrong."

Avila was helping his two daughters get out of the family's car after a trip to McDonald's when the two men pulled up in front of their Baldwin Hills apartment in a minivan. One got out of the vehicle, walked up to the family and started shooting, police said.


After hearing the shots, Rodriguez went outside and saw Kaitlyn lying in the middle of the street and her mother crying and screaming. He took Kaitlyn's 4-year-old sister inside.

Authorities said they believe the shooting may have been gang related, though there was no evidence Avila was a gang member. Police said the assailants identified themselves as gang members before the shooting, and that the motive may have been territorial.

"They thought my uncle was from the "18th Street gang," Rodriguez said. "But he wasn't. He doesn't bang."

Deputy LAPD Chief Charles Beck said the shooting "hits home for all of us."

Police are searching for two suspects.



Copyright © 2006 KABC-TV and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[LA5150]

I hate to break it to you, but this happens a lot. It just doesn't make the news everyday.

[ciscokid]

True, this may be a common occurrence. But in that division, it is only contributing to the rising tensions between African Americans and Latinos.

[LA5150]

It is happening all over the city, not just in Southwest division.

[highwayman]

Gang shootings in LA are like the homeless in Santa Monica beach, the Hollywood wax museum, the La Brea pits, Getty museum, and Disneyland... a tourist attraction. ;)

[Norm357]

OMG! There was a gang shooting in LA?:eek:

[highwayman]

Could've been a movie shooting, who knows :confused:

[jamez]

OMG! There was a gang shooting in LA?:eek:

More tabloid lies, Norm. ;)