At least one person is dead, and three others were wounded Saturday when drug deal gone awry ignited a shooting in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s in the West Hills section of Los Angeles.
The shooting unfolded at approximately 3:45 p.m. in the Trader Joe’s parking lot located in the 22800 block of Vanowen Street near Fallbrook Avenue. One person was declared deceased at the scene while three others were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds, police said.
“Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the dispute centered around a narcotics transaction in the area,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a press conference, according FOX 11 Los Angeles. “During that dispute, multiple suspects produced firearms and fired at each other.”
“Following the incident here, where the gunfire occurred, one of the suspects fled from this location,” Hamilton told reporters, explaining how police helicopters observed that suspect fled the scene in a vehicle with its windows shot out and directed ground units in that direction.
“That suspect became involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision, where they injured someone else and continued fleeing the area,” he said.
The air unit observed the suspect later switch into a different vehicle. Around that time, Hamilton said one of the shooting victims was declared dead at the scene, so the suspect then became wanted for murder. Ground units caught up to the suspect, igniting a short pursuit. The deceased victim was a 45-year-old man, Fox 11 reported, citing fire officials.
The vehicle pulled over near Canoga Boulevard and Saticoy Street in Canoga Park, and its female driver and the male suspect who fled the shooting scene were taken into custody.
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“We believe everyone that was involved in the dispute here is either in custody or the hospital,” Hamilton said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the time of the press conference, three people were in custody and two remained at the hospital, though there was a possibility that those being treated at the hospital could later be taken into custody as the investigation progressed, the deputy chief added.
Police said two firearms had been recovered, and the incident is being investigated as possibly gang-related.
The hit-and-run victim was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening, police added.
Neither the suspect nor the victims were immediately identified by authorities.
