Los Angeles police were looking for at least one suspect in a series of attacks that left one person dead and four others injured in a normally quiet neighborhood west of downtown Thursday.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the attacks happened within a span of around 10 minutes shortly after 3 p.m. local time. Law enforcement officials had not confirmed whether the attacks were related.
LAPD Lt. John Jenal told the paper that the first shooting took place on the outskirts of a park, killing one person and injuring another. Jenal said that while officers were still investigating the first scene, a third victim was found a block away. The lieutenant said it was not clear whether that victim was shot or stabbed. That victim was described as being in critical condition.
Minutes after that, another shooting was reported in the parking lot of a nearby 7-Eleven at the intersection of Overland Avenue and National Boulevard. Two victims were found there and transported to nearby hospitals.
As of Thursday night, no one was in custody in connection with the attacks, and it was not clear how many suspects police were looking for. One possible suspect was said to be driving a light-colored SUV.
Two nearby schools were briefly placed on lockdown Thursday afternoon while police looked for suspects, and the LAPD went on a citywide tactical alert that was later downgraded to cover only the department's West Bureau.
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