A man possibly in his 40s was reported in grave condition early Sunday after Los Angeles police responded to a shooting call near 52nd Street and Towne Avenue, north of a high school campus. Officers found him suffering from a gunshot wound after a caller reported that a suspect had shot at them.
A shots-fired call came in at about 6:25 a.m., according to KTLA, whose report was authored by Will Conybeare with contributions from Luis Zuñiga. At the time of the station's report, police had no suspect description to share.
The shooting was reported just north of Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School, a nearby campus listed by Homes.com.
A Division With a Hard-Earned Nickname
Officers have used the nickname “Shootin' Newton” for years. Past police surveys found more than 40 active street gangs operating within the division's boundaries.
That history stands in contrast to the city's broader trend line. Los Angeles recorded a 19 percent citywide drop in homicides in 2025 compared to the year before, reaching the lowest annual homicide total since 1966, according to a City of Los Angeles crime data report. The same report noted LAPD cleared 68 percent of 2025 homicide cases.
California Homicide Rate Reached a Record Low
Statewide, California's homicide rate dropped to 3.5 per 100,000 residents in 2025, its lowest level since comprehensive record-keeping began in 1966, as reported by CalMatters.
The City report cited a reduction in guns on the streets as one factor behind the decline.
Other Reported Shootings
South Park itself covers just 1.41 square miles but is home to more than 32,000 residents, with demographic data showing the neighborhood is about 78.6 percent Latino and 19.2 percent Black, according to Wikipedia. Across South Los Angeles, the population shifted from predominantly Black to majority Latino during the 1980s and 1990s.
Sunday's shooting is not an isolated incident in South Park. In April, a shooting at East 46th Street and South Avalon Boulevard wounded a victim after multiple gunmen opened fire and fled, as Hoodline previously reported. In July, a 22-year-old was wounded in a drive-by shooting outside a South Park liquor store at South Central Avenue and East 48th Street.
As of the latest report, LAPD had not released a suspect description, and the condition of the man found wounded near 52nd and Towne had not been updated beyond the initial grave status relayed by first responders.
