Dead man found in burned Valley Glen apartment after shots fired
One man was found dead in a burned apartment at the Valley Glen Oasis complex early Thursday morning, and Los Angeles Police believe he was shot to death before the fire was set to cover it up.
The victim's younger brother escaped through a window and was uninjured. Police were interviewing him for more information about the incident.
The LAPD said the two brothers were at home in the apartment when a suspect broke in.
Police said the victim, identified as 24-year-old Trentin Harrell, may have been targeted. They believe a suspect or suspects broke into the apartment at 13833 W. Oxnard St. in Valley Glen shot him while he was in his bed before setting a couch in the apartment on fire.
Los Angeles firefighters responded at 1 a.m. and extinguished the fire in the apartment on the first floor of the 24-unit two-story building. Firefighters found the remains of an adult male and two dogs inside.
An LAPD Homicide detective said a suspect was seen at the apartment at the time of the fire. Police officers and arson investigators were at the scene all morning.
Surveillance footage shows four men, all wearing ski masks, approaching the apartment. One of those men, reportedly armed with a shotgun, kicked in the front door as they rushed inside.
Firefighters said that the flames were so intense at one point that there's smoke damage upstairs in the apartment complex.
Neighbors said they heard something around 1 in the morning.
"You kind of think they were gunshots, but we were like, it's nothing," said neighbor Patrick Mate. "But then all of a sudden, my sister woke me up saying, 'Oh, something's on fire!' And then we come out, everyone's already screaming and there's already fire happening."
Many of the people who live at Valley Glen Oasis knew of the brothers in the downstairs unit.
"They were a bit unruly," said Patrick Mate. "They had their, like, disagreements and stuff, but I wouldn't think that it would end up like this."
The victim reportedly lived at the apartment with his girlfriend, who was not home at the time of the shooting.
"There's fighting every day. Loud noises. Freaking beatings," said James Howard, who lives in the apartment above.
He said that he could hear the victim's brother screaming before the gunfire.
"I feel pretty traumatized I didn't expect in my life to hear somebody plea for their life," Howard said.
No other injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
"We don't know any motive at this point. We just know there's a possibility he was targeted," said LAPD Detective Steve Castro.