L.A. County sheriff’s detectives investigating three separate homicides

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives are investigating three separate homicides that occurred Saturday night in Pico Rivera, near Los Angeles International Airport and in East Los Angeles.

The first incident occurred in Pico Rivera about 6:30 p.m. in the 9000 block of Reichling Lane, Lt. Robert Westphal said. A man was standing near a vehicle, talking with its occupants, and as he began to walk away, the vehicle accelerated and struck the man, he said.

The vehicle, believed to be a Suburban, continued down the street, then turned back around, Westphal said. The occupants took a look at the man and drove away.

The victim, 30 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies responded to the second killing about 7:30 p.m. in the 5400 block of West 117th Street southeast of LAX, Westphal said. A crowd of about 30 people had gathered in the street after attending a funeral when gunfire erupted, with one man shot several times in the lower torso, he said.

The victim, whom authorities had yet to identify, was pronounced dead at the scene, Westphal said.

The shooter was believed to be a member of the crowd, Westphal said.

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Deputies responded to the night’s third homicide about 7:45 p.m. in the 5100 block of Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. A man was inside a Warehouse Shoe Store on the corner of Whittier Boulevard and Woods Avenue, shopping with his girlfriend and two children, Det. Ray Lugo said. As the man walked out of the store’s back door, toward the parking lot, a gunman stepped out of a car and shot him several times, Lugo said.

The victim, in his 30s, was shot several times in the upper body. He died at a local hospital.

The getaway car, which was believed to have been driven by a woman, took off, Lugo said. The suspects remain at large.

Based on witness accounts, it appears the victim and his assailant knew each other, Lugo said. The victim’s girlfriend and children were still inside the store when he was shot and weren’t harmed, he said.