Early Saturday morning tragedy unfolded near a downtown Los Angeles smoke shop where a double shooting claimed the lives of two men and left another wounded, according to police officials. The shooting, reported just past midnight, occurred at the Cloud Smoke Shop located on the 500 block of South Los Angeles Street, near Maple Avenue, ABC7 stated.
Los Angeles Police Department officers from the Central Station were summoned to the scene following multiple reports of gunfire at the aforementioned location and upon arrival, they discovered one male victim on the ground with gunshot wounds inside the establishment, a male victim was found and pronounced dead, while another victim was located a few blocks away suffering from similar fatal injuries, the police confirmed these details in a statement obtained by KTLA; the Los Angeles Fire Department also responded and pronounced both victims dead at the scene, and no immediate identities for the deceased were released pending notification of next of kin.
The circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation, and as of now, no suspect description has been provided by the LAPD. It remains unclear if the deadly encounter was gang-related or if there was another motive behind the abrupt violence that broke the night's stillness; the LAPD has not speculated on the assailant's motives or identity. While a third man was also found wounded near the smoke shop he was reportedly uncooperative with authorities and refused medical treatment, as detailed by both KTLA and MyNewsLA.
Amidst the chaos and confusion that ensued, it was suggested by the LAPD that the two deceased men had been conversing before the shooting, thereafter, the shooter approached and commenced firing however, two employees inside the Cloud Smoke Shop claimed they had taken cover and did not see the assailant according to an interview with ABC7.
