A man shot to death Tuesday morning near Ramón García Park became the first homicide case reported in Boyle Heights in 2020.
The Eastsider reported that the victim, in his late 20s, was pulled out of his vehicle and shot multiple times. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the intersection of Grande Vista Avenue and Seventh Street to investigate an assault with a deadly weapon call minutes before 9 am, an LAPD spokesperson told the news outlet.
UPDATE: An Instagram post by independent news outlet OC Hawk said an argument was heard before the shooting, and placed the incident’s location at the 900 South block of Grande Vista Avenue, about two blocks north of the park main entrance.
Responders pronounced the victim dead at the scene, the spokesperson said. The suspect is believed to be a man; no other details were offered.
Tuesday’s fatal shooting put an end to a three-month lull in homicides in Boyle Heights, following a particularly deadly 2019, when a total of 15 violent deaths were reported in the neighborhood. According to the Los Angeles Times, the last homicide reported in Boyle Heights had been committed on December 16. The paper’s Homicide Report recorded three homicides that month; all victims were Latino males and two of the three were shot in their mid 20s.
The latest fatality came 10 days after a young man in his 20s was injured during a drive-by shooting near Wabash Avenue and Soto Street in Boyle Heights. It’s not known if the two incidents are related.
Tuesday’s shooting location is near the main entrance to Msgr. Ramón García Recreational Center. Formerly known as Fresno Street Park, the park is a city facility located where the 60 and 5 freeways meet in Boyle Heights.
This post was updated on March 24 to add information from Instagram.
