Local News in Brief : Passenger, 17, Kills Driver, Then Himself

A 17-year-old passenger in a car apparently shot the driver to death then killed himself as they rode through South-Central Los Angeles, police said Thursday.

Another passenger was wounded when he tried to stop the shooting, detectives said.

The bodies of Andrew Pinson, the alleged gunman, and Kelly John Graham, 24, were found in the car after it crashed into a power pole near 74th and Figueroa streets shortly before midnight Wednesday.

Los Angeles Police Detective Lionel Robert said officers were waiting to interview the wounded passenger, Steve Latha, 18, of Carson, who was under sedation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after surgery to save a forefinger. He was shot in the hand in his apparent attempt to wrest the gun from Pinson.

Pinson’s family reportedly told investigators that the Lynwood youth had been depressed for about a week. Both he and Graham, of Gardena, were shot in the head, police said.