$50,000 Reward Offered in 7-Year-Old Boy's Killing

Police say it appears to be a gang-related shooting

A $50,000 reward was offered Tuesday to help police track down whoever killed a 7-year-old boy in a shooting in Los Angeles.

Taalib Pecantte was struck by gunfire on Dec. 2 as he sat in his mother's parked car in the 1900 block of South Corning Street in Mid-City. He later died at the hospital.

The boy's mother and her friend, a 31-year-old man, were also struck. The mother was grazed in the leg by a bullet and her friend was shot in the back, but survived.

Los Angeles police detectives have been searching for at least two shooters, who are believed to have pulled up in a white, four-door car, walked up to the mother's car and fired about 20 rounds.

"They knew my baby was in the car -- all the lights were on," said the boy's mother,Sawan Berlin Mock. "I can't believe that someone would do that to my baby.

"You cannot think it was OK. You should turn yourself in because that was not OK."

Detectives said they believe it was a gang-related shooting, although the family was not involved with gangs.

Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson and the Los Angeles Police Department released details on the reward at a press conference Tuesday morning.

Wesson said he would try to increase the reward to $75,000.

Last week, Pecantte's family and friends gathered at a vigil to remember the Pop Warner football player and second grade honor student.

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Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to call 310-444-0702.

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