A shooting near a corner on Watts Street where a candlelight vigil was reportedly taking place early Sunday morning left one woman dead and another injured, according to police, as they continued their search for the suspect or suspects who fired the fatal shots.
Officers responding to the shooting call around 2 a.m. Sunday found a 30-year-old woman suffering from a single gunshot wound, said LAPD spokesman Ofc. Carlos Miller. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died, he said. Police have not released his name.
Around the same time, another woman, 31, showed up at an area hospital suffering from a gunshot wound that police suspect she suffered in the same shooting, according to Miller.
The shooting occurred in a residential block near the intersection of 104th Street and Wilmington Avenue. News station KTLA-TV reported that a group of people had gathered nearby for a vigil when gunfire erupted. Miller, the police spokesman, said he had no information about whether the two incidents were related.
Police have not yet released a motive or identifying information about any of the suspects involved.
The outbreak of violence comes as the city has seen a widespread decline in reported crimes compared to the first half of last year. As of May 23, the last day for which reliable data was available, violent crime was down nearly 4% compared to the same day last year, while robberies and motor vehicle thefts were down by nearly a third over the same period.
Homicides have decreased by approximately 11% since this time in 2025, which ended a 60-year low in the number of people murdered; the city has also had 148 fewer people shot.
Before Sunday's shooting, the Southeast patrol area, which covers Watts and surrounding communities, had recorded eight murders, compared to 17 last year.
