Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, an exchange of gunfire near Sherman Way and Mason Avenue in Winnetka left one person dead and another wounded, Los Angeles police said. Both individuals were rushed to a nearby hospital, where one of them later died. Investigators remained at the scene into the evening, and the LAPD had not released the identities of those involved.
According to NBC Los Angeles, officers said the shooting followed an altercation that may have started as a suspected drug deal. The outlet reported that a 31-year-old man was in an alley when a 36-year-old man approached and allegedly tried to rob him. During the struggle, the 31-year-old allegedly wrestled the weapon away and fired, hitting the other man. Paramedics took the wounded man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
What Police Asked Reporters
"The gunfire exchange occurred after an altercation stemming from a suspected drug deal," the LAPD said, according to a department statement cited in media reports. Police had not announced any arrests as of Sunday evening and described the case as an active investigation. Detectives are reviewing witness accounts and physical evidence as they work to nail down the full timeline of what happened in the alley.
Nearby Emergency Activity
The shooting unfolded along a stretch of Sherman Way that had already seen major emergency activity earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. LAFD crews had recently battled a two-story commercial building fire on the 20200 block of West Sherman Way, prompting a large response and temporary street closures in the corridor. While authorities say the fire and the shooting are unrelated, the back-to-back incidents have marked a busy run of calls in the Winnetka area.
How To Help
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau Homicide at (818) 374-9550 or, during non-business hours, 1-877-LAPD-24-7, per the Los Angeles Police Department. Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
