No arrests have been made in regards to 2 distinct shootings that happened this week in West Hollywood, leaving a tense feeling in the air for local neighborhood residents.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the latest shooting happened on the 7900 block of Norton Avenue, north of the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard after noon Tuesday.
Apparently unprovoked and at random, the suspect approached a man who was walking with his wife and baby, fired a shot into him, and entered a white Nissan Altima which fled the scene.
The victim was rushed to a local hospital, where he is now in stable condition and being treated for his wounds.
The incident took place on the residential street, and has left a lot of neighbors on edge.
“You don’t hear a lot of random shootings,” a neighbor told NBC Los Angeles. “Somebody like me, I’m just walking down the street — am I next? You don’t know.”
The shooting of the man in front of his wife and baby followed another one that had happened on Thursday a short distance east on the 1000 block of North Vista Street. This is one block south of Santa Monica Boulevard.
This one targeted a woman who was standing on the balcony of an apartment. Multiple shots were fired at her, and she was taken to the hospital. She is now said to be in stable condition.
According to deputies, detectives were investigating if the shooter had some kind of connection to the woman.
Ultimately, no arrests have been made in either shooting. Sources from the sheriff’s office reported that detectives were looking into whether the shootings could be related, but at the moment, both appeared to be random.
No description of any suspects have been released at this time.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lyndsey Horvath, a former mayor of West Hollywood and representative for the city on the county board, denounced the shootings in a statement.
“Gun violence anywhere is devastating and frightening, but especially in a close-knit community like West Hollywood, which has taken safety seriously and significantly invested in protecting residents,” Horvath said. “My thoughts are with the community members who have been victimized by this violence; I wish both a full and speedy recovery, and for justice to prevail swiftly.”
“To that end, both Captain (Fanny) Lapkin (of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station) and Sheriff (Robert) Luna have heard directly from me. Solving these crimes is a top priority, and every resource is available to the LA County Sheriff’s Department to aid in identifying those responsible, holding them accountable and restoring safety to our neighborhoods.”