A man in his 40s was shot and killed Thursday evening near the intersection of Centinela Avenue and Washington Boulevard in Mar Vista, in an area that saw a separate gunfire incident just 12 days earlier. Officers responded to reports of shots fired around 5:15 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, as reported by MyNewsLA.com, the suspect fled the scene on a bicycle in an unknown direction. Police have not released details about what led up to the shooting, and the investigation remains open. The identity of the victim has not been made public.
A Corridor With a Recent History of Gunfire
This is not the first act of gun violence at this exact intersection in recent weeks. Just 12 days earlier, on September 19, officers responded to a separate shooting at Washington Boulevard and Centinela Avenue, where a driver fired multiple shots into traffic before leading police on a pursuit that ended near Inglewood Boulevard and Gilmore Avenue in Culver City, according to Hoodline's earlier report, Culver City Police Watch Gunman Fire From Truck. That incident led to the arrest of a 33-year-old suspect on suspicion of gross negligent discharge of a firearm.
The same report notes that the intersection sits at Culver Commons, a $24 million, 13,000-square-foot outdoor dining and retail development that broke ground in January 2026 on the site of what had previously been proposed as a public market.
Jurisdiction and Investigative Scope
Patrol operations in Mar Vista fall under the LAPD's Pacific Community Police Station, which works alongside West Bureau Homicide and covers 25.7 square miles serving more than 200,000 residents across Westside communities including Venice, Del Rey, Playa Vista, and Westchester, per LAPD Online. Pacific Division operates under the department's Operations-West Bureau structure.
A 35-year-old man was found dead late Monday night along Ocean Front Walk in Venice, and LAPD investigated his death as a shooting; the initial response and investigation were handled primarily by Pacific Division, as Hoodline reported in coverage of that Venice Beach shooting. Venice Beach also falls under LAPD Pacific Division jurisdiction.
The Centinela Avenue corridor has seen other firearm incidents over the years that are distinct from confirmed homicides. In March 2024, officers responded to a shots-fired call at Venice Boulevard and Centinela Avenue in Mar Vista after a 25-year-old woman was found fatally shot; that case was later ruled a suicide by the LA County Medical Examiner, according to Patch. Further back, in December 2014, LAPD officers investigated a non-fatal daytime shooting in the 12400 block of Washington Place near Centinela Avenue, in which a 19-year-old man was shot in the head before the suspect fled, as reported by CBS Los Angeles. That case was also handled by LAPD West Bureau Homicide.
Potential Penalties if a Suspect Is Identified
No suspect has been named in Thursday's killing, but California law outlines steep consequences should charges eventually be filed. Under California Penal Code Section 187, a conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory state prison sentence of 25 years to life, with potential sentencing enhancements for intentional firearm discharge, while second-degree murder carries 15 years to life, according to the Shouse Law Group.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact LAPD West Bureau Homicide at (213) 382-9470, the 24-hour LAPD dispatch line at (877) 527-3247, or L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
