Gunmen open fire at memorial party for slain gang member in Watts [Video]
Los Angeles police believe three men opened fire during a memorial party for a gang member on Saturday morning, wounding seven people.
The incident occurred on Holmes Avenue in Watts during an event that was arranged as a fundraiser to offset funeral costs for 22-year-old Jesus Sanchez. Witnesses told KTLA News that Sanchez was killed in the same neighborhood.
One witness told the station that her friends were dancing when the gunmen opened fire.
"It was a mess in there," one neighbor recalled. "Everyone was running like crazy."
The Los Angeles Police Department said the gunmen were gang members.
All the victims were expected to survive. They are all in their 20s and six are women.
-- Shelby Grad
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Seems no one cares about the young men and women dying everyday. Their minority status in low income areas and being affiliated with gangs almost makes them uncared for by society. When some of these people are actually good people, fathers, hard workers trapped in a tempting lifestyle which is demonized. Yes some are bad, but so are random folks in society. Jail is full of non gang related violent offenders. Gangs are mostly young friends that grew up at similar schools tempted to see what their peers do. The police know the dope spots, killers homes and murder suspects whereabouts. They can do so much, in one day. This violence needs to stop.
Posted by: Montana Gold- | May 02, 2011 at 08:42 AM
I believe the same strategy used to kill Bin Laden by the Navy SEALS would also be effective if applied to gang member in Los Angeles.
Posted by: DMAC | May 02, 2011 at 10:33 AM
It's very sad that people resort to violence and this issue is conflicting. Compassion is one thing but reality is another. People refuse to accept personal responsibility for their actions. There's always someone to blame. If it's not the white man, it's the police or the government or the parents, the schools, teachers. You name it. But until EVERYONE starts looking in the mirror and fixing what can be fixed, nothing will change. We can't change another person. We can encourage them but ultimately, the choice lies within each person.
Posted by: newshawk | May 02, 2011 at 10:42 AM
I follow a lot of America and are increasingly convinced that it is a great country,
Posted by: davide | May 02, 2011 at 06:25 PM
I follow a lot of America and are increasingly convinced that it is a great country, one of the many things I do not understand and that your taxes with the government spends millions of dollars in arms and not capable of uprooted gangs and poverty are a country rich and live in the present not in Italy as a country is drifting old and live in a country that
Davide from italy
Posted by: davide | May 02, 2011 at 06:26 PM
Perhaps they should put some police back on the street instead of sending them all home because of too much compensation time.
I blame the City Council and that criminal villiaragosa.
Posted by: jayzee1 | May 02, 2011 at 08:16 PM