A shooting early Saturday afternoon in West Hills left one person dead and three others injured; police are still looking into the incident. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department said that an unidentified gunman opened fire on the three victims at around 3:45 p.m., but that the events leading up to the incident remain unclear.
On the 22800 block of Vanowen Street, close to Fallbrook Avenue, at the Trader Joe’s parking lot. LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said during a press conference that the incident occurred because of a disagreement over a botched cocaine deal.
“Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the dispute centered around a narcotics transaction in the area,” Hamilton said during a press conference Saturday evening. “During that dispute, multiple suspects produced firearms and fired at each other.”
One victim was pronounced dead at the site, while three others were taken to the hospital, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. There are no juvenile victims. According to officials, the condition of at least one victim is critical and that of another is serious.
According to Hamilton, “Following the incident here, where the gunfire occurred, one of the suspects fled from this location, “ An LAPD airship overhead saw the suspect flee in a vehicle with a damaged window. After injuring another person in a hit-and-run accident, “That suspect became involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision, where they injured someone else and continued fleeing the area.”
The injured victim is not thought to have life-threatening injuries, according to the police. The suspect changed vehicles at some point, and the blimp saw it happen. According to Hamilton, one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, making the suspect immediately a murder suspect.
“Ground units caught up with the suspect and there was a short pursuit, lasting two-to-three minutes,” Hamilton said.
The suspect car stopped at the intersection of Canoga Boulevard and Saticoy Street in Canoga Park, ending the pursuit. Neither the female driver nor the guy passenger resisted arrest. The police think everyone involved has been arrested or taken to the hospital.
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Two people are still being treated at the hospital, while three more are in prison. Hamilton remarked that the follow-up inquiry could tell if the in-patients at the hospital are also suspects. During the preliminary inquiry, police said they found two weapons in the parking lot.
Shooting tragedy in a Trader Joe’s parking lot in Los Angeles. https://t.co/sCm7i2BWCJ
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 2, 2023
Neither the perpetrators nor the victims have been positively identified. They think this may have been a gang-related occurrence and are looking into it thoroughly.
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