A 19-year-old man described as a documented gang member was critically wounded today in a shooting in Mar Vista and the suspect was on the loose.
The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. when a male suspect on foot approached the victim outside an apartment building in the 12400 block of Washington Place, near Centinela Avenue, and shot him in the head with an unknown type of gun, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The wounded man was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Officer Jack Richter of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section.
Police reported tonight that the man was in critical condition.
Police set up a perimeter but were unable to locate the suspect, Richter said.
A description of the male gunman was not immediately available as witnesses were uncooperative with investigators, said Sgt. James Mankey of the LAPD’s Pacific Station.
Although police said the victim was a documented gang member, the exact circumstances and motive for the shooting remained under investigation.
Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to contact the LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide investigators at (213) 382-9470. After-hours calls can be made to (877) LAPD-24-7 and anonymous tips can be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.