4 Dead, 1 Injured In 'Ambush-Style' Shooting At House Party In Inglewood
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) — Four people were killed Sunday in an "ambush-style" shooting during a house party in Inglewood. A fifth person was wounded.
"I didn't hear anything but the shots," said a neighbor who wished to stay anonymous, fearing retaliation. "I didn't hear the music or the party."
The shooting unfolded at an unregulated short-term rental home on Park Avenue near Hargrave Street around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
"We hear the shots," the neighbor said. "At first I thought it was firecrackers but then I thought 'This sounds like war.'"
It was then that authorities responded to a report of "shots being fired." When they arrived, they located three victims who were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were taken to a local hospital, one of whom died during transport.
The fifth victim, who was expected to survive but was reported to be in critical condition, admitted to being gang-affiliated in another city. It remains unclear whether he was the target of the shooting. More than one shooter was believed to have been involved.
Authorities are still searching for the multiple suspects believed to be involved in the incident. Early incident reports from law enforcement detailed that at least one assault rifle and one handgun were used in the shooting.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately known, though it was believed to be gang-related, according to a news release.
Friends were at the house to celebrate the birthday of 20-year-old Breahna Stines, who was shot and killed along in the incident, along with her 25-year-old sister Marneysha Hamilton. Two male friends of the sisters were also killed. They were identified Monday by the L.A. County coroner's office as Jayden Griffin of Gardena and Teron Whittiker Jr. of Torrance, both 21.
Family members, friends and community advocates gathered near the scene of the shooting Sunday evening to remember the victims, setting up a memorial for the five victims affected in the senseless violence that occurred.
"Can you imagine losing two kids at one time?" said an unidentified friend of Tiffney Stines, the girls' mother, said. "Come on now, this is what she's here for. I'm gonna make sure her story gets heard."
Michelle Fahmy, a neighbor in the area where the shooting took place said she heard at least 30 successive pops, and just a minute later, she heard the sirens. Hours later, when she finally opened her front door, she found Tiffney Stines, weeping feet from her doorstep.
"Honestly I feel like LA as a whole is a little crazy right now; so I mean, where do you go?" she said, also detailing to CBS reporters that this type of crime isn't common in their neighborhood.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts remained at the scene through the night. During a morning news conference, he called the shooting an "ambush" and shared that multiple weapons had been used in the shooting, including an assault rifle as well as one handgun. Butts described the incident as the worst single shooting crime in Inglewood since the 1990's.
"These are sociopathic killers that have to be sequestered from society," Butt said of the suspects.
Community advocates who joined the family members outside of the scene of the incident say they won't rest until justice is served for the five victims. LaWanda Hawkins, who is a Community Advocate for the victims, is one of those individuals, who said on Sunday,"As parents of murdered children we won't tolerate this we want justice for these kids, 4 kids murdered... how much more do you think we can take?"
