3 Wounded in Drive-By Shooting

PACOIMA —  Three teenage boys were wounded, one critically, when they were hit by a hail of bullets Tuesday, apparently in a gang-related drive-by shooting, police said.

Investigators were seeking four suspects, described as male Latinos, ages 16 to 20, all with shaved heads, said Jason Lee, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

Witnesses reported that seven to eight shots were fired at the victims from a white, four-door Lincoln Continental with a blue top. The attack occurred about 4:15 p.m. as the three teenagers walked along Telfair Avenue at Pierce Street.

Both the attackers and the victims, also Latinos, “appeared to be gang members,” Lee said.

LAPD Det. Bob Brophy said the gunmen asked the victims what gang they belonged to before opening fire, a traditional gang ritual.

A 15-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was reported in critical but stable condition, Lee said. Two other youths, ages 15 and 17, were treated for less serious leg wounds.

Police said the names of the victims and the hospitals where they were being treated were being withheld.

Resident Elizabeth Rodriguez said she and her sister-in-law were outside washing a car, their children playing between them, when the shooting began. At first they thought the popping noises were just early Fourth of July fireworks, until they saw the teenagers fall.

“We haven’t heard of this for a while,” Rodriguez said, noting that the last drive-by shooting in the neighborhood was about three years ago. “We really panicked; we were like ‘what’s going on?’ We just ducked.”

Another neighbor, who declined to give his name for fear of retaliation, said he watched as the Lincoln drove down Telfair Avenue.

“I saw them drive away, slow, not fast, like nothing happened,” he said.