LOS ANGELES – Police searching for two suspected gang members who gunned down an 8-year-old girl in an apartment building courtyard were questioning possible witnesses and fielding calls from tipsters Thursday, police said.
The victim was identified as Jasmine Sanders, who lived at the South Los Angeles apartment building where she was shot, said county coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey.
There were no suspects in custody, Officer Marjan Mobasser said.
"We are getting a lot of tips from the public so hopefully that will help investigators find who the suspects are," she said.
Children were playing in the courtyard of their apartment building when two males in their late teens approached and opened fire at a nearby group of people, Mobasser said.
The girl was hit in the chest and pronounced dead at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she said.
Capt. Dennis Kato told KTTV-TV the girl was an unintended target of the shooting, which was believed to be gang-related.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa promised a swift reaction by police.
"We are going to do everything possible to investigate this matter, to bring these individuals to justice," he said.
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