First Drive-By Attack Since Gang Talks Leaves 1 Dead

A car filled with suspected gang members opened fired on a rival gang early Sunday, killing one man and seriously injuring another, according to Los Angeles police.

Police said the killing was the first since last week’s three-day summit between members of the Crips and the Bloods, the two loose confederations of street gangs. Gang members who participated in the talks, which ended Thursday, called for fellow gang members to refrain from any type of violence for one week and to observe seven days of prayer.

Randle Williams, 19, of Los Angeles, was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center about 3 a.m., an hour after the drive-by shooting. Edward Domingus, 17, also of Los Angeles, was pronounced in stable but guarded condition at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood after being struck by several bullets, police said.

About 10 to 15 suspected Crips gang members were drinking beer near the parking lot at Norman O. Houston Park at La Brea Avenue and Stocker Street when a gunman in a dark-colored car suddenly sprayed the crowd with bullets. Police estimated that up to 15 shots were fired before the car sped away.

Police said they had no motive for the attack or which gang was responsible for the shooting. However, police investigators speculated that members of the Crips may have drifted too far off their turf.

Police said the assailants, identified only as black males, were driving a late 1970s model Oldsmobile Cutlass or Buick Riviera. Witnesses said the car was either dark brown or black.

There were at least 174 killings by gang members in the first half of this year in Los Angeles County. Last year, there were 387 gang-related slayings, the highest number ever.