Two children, ages 4 and 11, and an 18-year-old woman were shot Thursday night as they sat in a car parked in the driveway of a South Los Angeles home, police said.
"It's ridiculous. People are walking up and driving up and shooting innocent women and children," said a family member who identified herself as the grandmother of the four year old.
The victims were shot shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday while sitting in a car in the driveway of the family home on Cimarron Street near 98th Street. According to family members of the victim, the shooter was on the porch of a home and opened fire as the car pulled away.
Witnesses heard as many as 15 rounds being fired. It's not known if the gunman knew there were two children among the five people inside the car.
The shooting victims are related. The 11 year old and the 18 year old are cousins of the four year old, his grandmother said. She was at work when she got word of the shooting. She said her daughter, the four year old's mother, was at the wheel and, not struck by the gunfire, was able to drive the injured to an Inglewood hospital. The were later transported to another facility.
The two children have been released, but the 18-year-old required surgery and remained hospitalized Friday afternoon.
"We have a 4-year-old, an 11-year-old, and an 18-year-old shot," said LAPD Sgt. Tim Jones. "Even though the 18-year-old is chronologically an adult, may as well be a child who was shot. We're going to go out there and investigate as hard and strongly as we can to make sure that anybody that shoots these individuals in our communities are taken off the streets."
A 24-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were also in the vehicle, but were able to escape injury, police said.
The suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
LAPD officials said the shooting may be gang related.
