17-year-old fatally shot on Hollywood Walk of Fame following confrontation
A 17-year-old was fatally shot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame early Monday morning and authorities said two suspects were being sought.
The shooting happened at 1:08 a.m. in the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Lizeth Lomeli.
When paramedics arrived, they rushed the 17-year-old to a hospital, where he died. He was identified as James Ford III on Thursday.
"Detectives believe that the deceased shooting victim was with another unidentified suspect and that they confronted a group of unidentified persons at Hollywood and Sycamore," police said in a statement.
"The group ran away from the deceased shooting victim and the second male suspect, and the second male suspect fired shots at the group running. The deceased shooting victim was likely armed and possibly fired at the unidentified victims. The shooting victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds and the investigation is ongoing."
Footage from the scene shows a group of people walking at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sycamore Avenue before running into another group, at which point both parties scattered.
The suspect can be seen chasing after with an arm raised - as the muzzle of the gun flashes several times.
"I heard a lot of gunshots," said Pamela Clince, a tourist visiting the area. "It sounded like there was definitely more than one gun."
It was not immediately clear what led up to the confrontation. Police said they found a gun nearby.
They believe that the suspect and the victim were walking together in the same group prior to the shooting.
The suspect being sought was described as a man about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, and wearing dark clothing.
Hollywood Boulevard was shut down from Orange Street to La Brea Avenue following the shooting.
Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to call police.
The incident has one again brought the area into the public eye for all the wrong reasons, as crime rates continue to increase throughout the Southland. This is the eighth homicide in Hollywood in 2022 alone, double the amount from 2021 during the same time span.
"I see a lot of security around here but I still don't feel as safe walking the streets," said Shane Leary, who works in the area. "It's kind of intolerable at times."
City officials have taken efforts to combat the issues, as noted by the recent move by Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, who called for a redirection of money from his office to the Los Angeles Police Department in order for them to increase patrols and place more officers in the area. He cited a nearly 20% increase in robberies, with more than 400 already having occurred in 2022.
As the crime rate increases, locals have reported a decrease in business, including the tourism industry.
"I do think it definitely deters tourists from coming to Hollywood Boulevard," Leary said.
In July, Starbucks announced the pending closure of a series of locations, six of which are located in Los Angeles and LAPD issued a community warning to residents and tourists alike, giving attention to the string of recent and brazen "follow-home" robberies plaguing the area.