A 35-year-old man was shot Friday night at the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts, wounded in an attack that left him conscious and breathing but police without any description of who pulled the trigger. The shooting was reported at about 8:29 p.m. in the 2200 block of East 114th Street, just two blocks north of Imperial Highway.
Officers requested an ambulance for the man after finding him suffering from a gunshot wound, according to MyNewsLA.com. He was conscious and breathing when officers arrived, and police said they did not have a description of a suspect to release.
No further details on the man's condition, a motive, or any arrest have emerged since the shooting was first reported. The outlet's report remains the only account of Friday's incident, and it notes that investigators had nothing further to share about who was responsible.
A Block With a Violent History
The 2200 block of East 114th Street, where Friday's shooting happened, has been the scene of gun violence before. In October 2005, two men, ages 15 and 23, were shot in a drive-by attack inside the Imperial Courts Housing Projects on that same block, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The 15-year-old, identified as Melvon Massey, was pronounced dead on arrival, while the 23-year-old, Mark Brider, remained in critical condition. LAPD Southeast Area homicide detectives were assigned to that investigation.
Nearly a decade later, the same stretch was hit again. On October 26, 2014, five people were shot in two separate attacks in Watts within about an hour of each other, with one victim killed, as reported by KTLA. The second of those shootings unfolded at about 9:20 p.m. in the 2200 block of East 114th Street, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding a man. Police believed the same gunman carried out both attacks and described him only as a Black male in his 20s.
Other Nearby Incidents
The same block has also been tied to at least one other killing. A 29-year-old man named Markice Delshawn Brider was shot and killed in the 2200 block of East 114th Street near the Imperial Courts housing projects, according to the Los Angeles Times homicide database. Police said four men arrived in a minivan, with two getting out and opening fire on Brider as he walked eastbound near a gym in the complex.
A separate shooting near the 1700 block of East 114th Street, a few blocks away, left a 54-year-old man and two robbery victims wounded after police said the man attempted an armed robbery and struggled with the two victims over a rifle, per a report from Audacy. Officers ultimately shot the suspect during that confrontation.
None of those earlier incidents has been connected to Friday's shooting, and investigators have not indicated whether any of the past cases bear on the current one. For now, the only confirmed details are that a 35-year-old man was wounded, he was conscious and breathing when help arrived, and police have no suspect description to share.
