Two young children were shot and killed in broad daylight in Los Angeles on Sunday, and police believe the man who opened fire on them was their own father before turning the gun on himself. Officers responding to a shooting near Venice Boulevard and South Catalina Street found three people suffering from gunshot wounds, and the two children did not survive.
The shooting was reported near Venice Boulevard and South Catalina Street, close to Loyola High School, according to NBC Los Angeles. The MyNewsLA report quotes LAPD Officer Jason Lee saying officers were dispatched at 12:49 p.m. Sunday to that area, though the New York Post described the shooting as occurring near Koreatown in central Los Angeles. Reports have differed on the precise neighborhood, with some outlets referring to the area as Pico-Union and others as Harvard Heights, and the exact time has also varied slightly across accounts.
Three Victims Rushed to Hospitals
When officers arrived, they found three people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a report from CBS News Los Angeles. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took all three to nearby hospitals in unknown condition, the station's report adds. Two of the victims, children, were later pronounced dead at the hospital, while the third, a man, remained hospitalized.
NBC Los Angeles, citing LAPD, reported that the deceased victims were boys ages 4 and 10.
Father Believed to Be the Shooter
The man hospitalized after the shooting is believed to be the children's father, according to NBC Los Angeles, which has reported extensively on the investigation. He is being treated for self-inflicted gunshot wounds and remains in custody, the outlet reports, with police believing he shot the children before shooting himself.
Despite that belief, LAPD officials had not determined whether the incident was connected to domestic violence. Police said there were no outstanding suspects as they continued investigating the motive, which remained unknown as of Sunday night.
Investigators Seek Bus Camera Footage
As part of the investigation, police requested footage from a Metro bus that may have captured the shooting, according to the same NBC Los Angeles account. No further details on what that footage might show have been released, and the broader circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation.
The shooting comes even as Los Angeles has seen homicide deaths and shooting victims trend downward citywide. The city recorded 230 homicide deaths in 2025, down from 284 in 2024, and its homicide rate of 5.9 deaths per 100,000 residents was the lowest since the 1950s, according to data reported by NBC Los Angeles. The number of shooting victims citywide fell from 981 in 2024 to 899 in 2025, an 8% decrease that officials have tied in part to LAPD seizing 8,650 firearms over the year.
No details about the identities of the victims or the suspected shooter have been released, and it remains unclear whether he has been formally charged. Police have not said what led up to the shooting, and the investigation into the motive continues.
