THE LA SHOWDOWN WAS LOUD

Three men were killed and another seriously wounded in a dispute in a Harbor Gateway apartment Friday, authorities said.

The violence, which police are not attributing to gangs, was reported about 5:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of West 205th Street, just east of South Western Avenue, said Officer Christopher No of Los Angeles Police Department.

Three men between the ages of 20 and 30 years old were killed, LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez said. Their names were withheld pending notification of relatives.

Additionally, a man in his 30s was found with a leg wound a couple of blocks north of the 205th Street apartment, near Del Amo Boulevard and Western Avenue. The man, who appeared to be trying to flag down motorists, was taken to a hospital for treatment. Lopez said the gunshot victim was being detained for his suspected involvement but was not cooperating with officers.

“We’re not getting much assistance from him,” he said.

Lopez said he did not know if the man was armed when taken into custody, but noted that weapons were recovered inside the apartment building.

Police were unsure if the injured man taken into custody was a victim or a suspect, Lopez said, but officers believe there are no other suspects involved or at large.

All four men apparently knew each other, he added, and all are considered either victims and/or suspects in the incident apparently spawned by

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a dispute. It was not known what they were arguing about.
“Various witnesses heard loud and boisterous arguing going on,” Lopez said. “Right now we don’t know who shot who or why they shot them. ”

LAPD Capt. Nancy Lauer told reporters that the survivor initially was in serious condition but was upgraded to fair several hours later.

“When police officers arrived, they found three individuals had been shot and killed inside the location,” Lauer

The scene along the 1600 block of W. 205th Street in Harbor Gateway where three men were shot to death in an apartment building Friday morning at about 5:30 a.m. A fourth man fled on foot injured, and was captured. Curious residents were busy heading off to school and work as LAPD detectives worked the area, trying to piece the triple homicide together. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer)
said. “A fourth individual was located by officers and transported to the hospital. ”
In what police described as a bloody scene, the first victim was found dead on an interior stairway leading up to the second-story apartment unit. The others were inside the apartment, all dead from gunshot wounds.

Lopez said it was unclear whether those killed lived in the apartment.

“We don’t know if the renter was one of the victims,” he said.

As a precaution, authorities escorted children in the area from their homes to school Friday morning.

The area Boys and Girls Club also was taking in anyone who wanted to leave the neighborhood as the investigation continued.

Some neighbors watched the unfolding investigation from their front yards, but most remained behind closed doors.

“I want to emphasize – and this is important – that there is no additional danger to the community members in the area,” Lauer said, declining to elaborate.

Robbery-homicide detectives, assisted by a police dog, entered the residence at mid-day after obtaining a search warrant for the apartment.

One neighbor, Brad Wood, said he was awakened by helicopters following the shooting. Wood noted that the neighborhood has been relatively quiet since authorities cracked down on the 204th Street gang in the aftermath of the race-related fatal shooting of 14-year-old Cheryl Green.

“It’s been really quiet for the last three or four years,” he said.

Police asked anyone with information to call 310-726-7900 or 800-222-TIPS.