Boy, 5, in critical condition after being shot in head by suspected gang member

A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition Monday after two suspected gang members walked through the alley behind his South Los Angeles home and shot him while he was in his backyard.

The boy, who was dressed as Spiderman and waiting to go to a Halloween party, was in the yard with his grandfather and uncle about 2 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of East 84^th Street. One of the suspects opened fired and hit him in the back of the head, said Det. Chris Barling of the Los Angeles Police Department. The grandfather was grazed in the arm by a bullet; the uncle was shot in the leg.

The boy was taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center where he remains in critical condition, Barling said.

The home in the Florence neighborhood lies near a border between two rival gangs. Detectives suspect that the men, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, mistakenly thought that the family was connected to their rival gang.

Nobody at the boy's home had connections to any gangs, Barling said.

-- Stephen Ceasar

Photos: Aaron Shannon in his Halloween costume. LAPD via KTLA News

Comments

[Crystal]

Hi,i am realy sorry about what happend i now nobady is feeling what your family is.good luke.Aaren hope you get better soon.what are people thinking this days

[Cheryl]

This is absolutely heartbreaking. Rest in the arms of angels little man, and may God comfort your family in their unimaginable loss.

[Gary]

This is soo sad......

[John Berge]

This is tragic and I know that there are apologists who will say: "We don't know the whole story." These low-life gang bangers who shoot and critically injure or kill for no apparent reason need to be caught, vertically prosecuted, and sentenced swiftly. Come creeping around my spot... I got something for your backside!!! Pitiful, there are no words to express the stupidity of these acts of violence.

[slugger]

May this little one recover quickly surrounded by the love of his family.

May the ignorant COWARDS that have gravely injured this little boy never know a moment of peace or contentment.

[eric]

Another Shooting in California!

Another reason to Vote YES on 19!

Make REAL CRIME A PRIORITY for police.

ITS TIME we free up 70% of the Local Police forces, Jails and Courts. Along with this we will strip Gangs and Cartels of THE LARGEST PORTION of their income!

Take the gangs money, then you can stop the idiots from buying guns like bubble gum and harming unintended targets...

[Pattyatty]

My heart breaks at the sight of this little guy in his Spiderman suit just looking forward to trick or treating. Oh little baby just please be OK and pull through. Not a bad thought in the world and all innocence and life was good and that gorgeous little face to boot. If this baby dies "justice" can't fix it. They're is no justice for this kind of crime against innocents. My prayers to all...

[Fed up]

I say we go ahead and notify all the occupants of the homes of the suspects and any occupants of homes of their know gang associates, that within 24 hours of the notice the County or Sate or whoever is going to bull doze and demolish their proprieties and then we go ahead and do it. We need to get these vermin out of these communities and if this is how we do it then let's go. This subhuman garbage, more like primal animals, would already be dead if they had shot my son. My prayers go out to that little boy and his family. I mean really what the heck did this little guy do to deserve this?

[NotExactly_]

pathetic excuse for human beings. makes me absolutely sick

[John Doe]

Isn't it about time that the LA PD come down exceptionally hard on all gangs and then the judges give sentences that would start at 50 years to life. The three strike thing is just not working. Maybe - only maybe - this might get the attention of this useless thrash.

[Gina]

I am so sick of these cowards doing these things. What a sweet child - I can't imagine the heartbreak his family is going through. Be strong young man and get better quickly!

[jim]

street justice for these two

[LIONHEART]

What type of lo-life could shoot a 5 year old child. how about some street justice for this child...........well are they still breathing.???

[Pam]

It's so incredibly sad. Poor little guy. I hope and pray that he'll survive this nightmare. Gangs are truly the home grown terrorists in this country and should be treated accordingly. I only wish we could just wipe them out entirely...but that's not going to happen. Decent people just can't live where the gangs are. Gang members are low-life scum and they'll kill anybody. No one is safe if you live in their hood. I'd rather live in a small apartment in a good neighborhood than a huge house in a bad one. Poor little baby boy. Heartbreaking.

[A.W.]

Sick of these good for NOTHING gang members. They are a waste of breath and space.

[R.]

Sad, sad, very sad... I pray that God spare his life and bring justice to this tragic situation. My paryers are with him and his family.

[RealisticExpectations]

And this five year old boy is a threat to gangsters...

All this is going to do is foment violence on both sides.

Praying that this little guy makes it.

[cooper]

I will be praying for him and the family......

[Michael Suerlan]

Wow. What kind of heartless monsters would do such a thing.

[dave earl]

Poor baby. I hope he survives. To the trash who shot him, payback is a mother!

[Char Siu]

You got to go out there and take revenge. BEING Peaceful hasn't worked and won't work... history speaks for itself. Go out and get your revenge

[fed_up]

this is sick.
this is horrible.
this is as bad as it gets
a poor little boy, dressed in a halloween costume, waiting for a party to begin, is shot in cold blood.

EVERY POLITICIAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS KILLING. THOSE politiicians that allow this city to be a illegal immigrant haven should be PROSECUTED FOR MURDER.

there is no reason NO REASON why this little boy should have been killed.

[leatherneck556]

Another sad story of a young life struck down over something so shameful and meaningless. My prayers for this little boy for a quick recovery.

[ImDaVoice]

What is it going to take for us as a society to focus on the real issues such as gang violence, rape, murders, etc. We need to stand up as a society and unite against these people who commit such terrible acts. The future of our children is in jeopardy and all we do is read the articles which inform us of horrible news. We must have our voices heard, for those whose voices demand justice and can not be heard. We can not be submissive to those who try to strike fear in our lives. As time goes by we become complacent and content with the fact that these vicious crimes are not committed to our families. Must we sit around and wait till our fathers or brothers or sisters or mothers fall at the hands of these criminals? Stand up and speak up! Now is our opportunity to prevent the “what if?” Now is our chance to raise our voice for the innocent. Now is the time we show these criminals that we are not afraid. Now is the time we make a change. On the week of the 13th of December 2010 through Sunday, we all must wear white for all our loved ones whose lives were taken away this year by the hand of another. For the lady down the street who was rapped (and whose perpetrators were never caught). For the little boys and girls who played on their front lawn and had their lives taken prematurely by lowlife thugs who never seem to know which house is their target. For the adolescents who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and were trying to make a future for themselves. We must unite and wear white, to show those who commit and have committed these crimes that they will be brought to justice. We will show them that we are the voices of those whose lives they have taken and we will not rest until justice is served.

[vERONICA]

OMG!! I can't stand gang members!! especially those that shoot at innocent little children. They should all be lined up and tortured to death damn bastards!!