Car-to-car shooting in Watts ends with 1 dead, 1 critically wounded

One man died and another remained in critical condition Monday after a car-to-car shooting in Watts, police said.

Ricardo Mendoza, 27, and Robert Gipson, 23, began to shoot at one another from separate cars about 11:55 p.m. Sunday “for no apparent reason” as they drove along East 92nd Street near Holmes Avenue, said officials with the Los Angeles Police Department.

The men were members of rival gangs, said LAPD Det. Christopher Barling. During or after the exchange of more than a dozen bullets, Mendoza’s 1998 green Honda Civic came to a dead stop, likely because of his gunshot wounds, authorities said.

At about the same time, Gipson made a U-turn and crashed his 2000 white Ford Mustang into a telephone pole in front of 1774 East 92nd Street. Gipson’s passenger left the car and ran north on Holmes Avenue, police said.

Mendoza, who received multiple gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead at the scene 15 minutes after the first shot, authorities said. Gipson was taken to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition with at least one gunshot wound.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the LAPD at (213) 485-1383.

-- Amina Khan

Map: There have been 133 homicides within two miles of this shooting, according to the Times' Homicide Report database. Click for an interactive map of Los Angeles County homicides.

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Comments

[jay lewis]

hopefully all the bangers will kill each other!

[kgoddess]

Well, at least this time members of the bone-head gang who couldn't shoot straight didn't hit any innocent victims.

[George]

It is good to see they are still "keepin' it real"

[Bike LA]

"For no apparent reason", is the LAPD quote.
That really sounds like the LAPD has their finger on the pulse of gang culture and is proactive in preventing violence.

[TheBigPicture]

Compton Cookout and people of color want to burn down UCSD....

Murder of a Black man and no one says a word...

Very interesting...backwards, but interesting...

[j-Dub]

The WILD WILD West....

[Flame]

I like how the article says they started shooting for no apparent reason, does being in rival gangs give you a clue? As if someone is going to come forward with info and then their life is going to be in jeopardy.

[socal gal]

"for no apparent reason"??? they are in Watts, they were members of rival gangs and there was an exchange of more than a dozen bullets...sounds like gang warfare to me

[TheBigPicture]

"No apparent reason" should be reserved for the law abiding victims. If you're a gangster and you're gunned down, they should just say that, "The victim was a gangster and he had it coming."

[IN THE TRENCHES]

WONDER IF IT WAS EAST COAST CRIP VS FLOWERS?

[Antonio]

“for no apparent reason”..once again the LAPD and the Times seems to have a vested interest in hiding black on brown hate crimesjust like not reporting the Latinos who shot a black man just for being black in duarte a couple months ago. Good thing the Times is tight on top of that shocking swastika graffitti incident in Lakewood! Way to go LA Times!

[Ryder]

I knew the victim and I would like to ask for some respect for the family, please keep ur ignorant comments to yourself and get a life.