Drive-by Shooting Caps Recent Pico Crime Spree

By Jorge Casuso

Two Latino suspects are wanted for the drive-by shooting of a young black man Saturday night in the driveway of his apartment, capping a recent spree of reported crimes in the Pico neighborhood.

The shooting occurred at 8:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of 22nd Street and the victim, identified as a black male in his late teens or early twenties, was transported to a hospital, police said. His condition "does not appear to be life-threatening," police said.

"Several shots were fired," said Lt. Larry Horn. "He was shot standing near his driveway."

The suspects were last seen headed eastbound in a late model vehicle on Delaware Avenue, police said.

Art Casillas, who lives two doors from the scene, said that he heard seven shots fired, two of which hit the victim.

"He was walking down the driveway when a shot was fired," Casillas said. "The guy spun around. He was hit twice."

The shooting caps a recent rash of crime near Virginia Park, which was the scene of a homicide in 1998. The Pico neighborhood also was the scene of a gang war that resulted in four other homicides that year.

Last weekend, there were reports of shots fired on the same block at 12:58 a.m. Saturday, July8. There also was an assault with a deadly weapon reported less than three hours later five blocks away. Later that Saturday, a battery was reported near 17th Street and Delaware.

The following morning, at 2:02 a.m. Sunday, another battery was reported near 21st Street and Delaware and two separate incidents of shots being fired were reported at 7:07 Sunday night on the 1900 block of 18th Street and on 19th Street and Pico Boulevard.

Less than 24 hours before Saturday night's shooting there were eight reports of shots fired at 19th St. and Delaware around 1:30 a.m.