Youth Shot to Death During Walk in Park
Ateen-age boy walking with a girl through Paxton Park in Pacoima was fatally shot after a confrontation with five men, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.
Joseph Tapia, 17, of Sylmar was shot about 4:10 p.m. Tuesday. He was taken by friends to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests were made.
Detective Marshall White said Tapia was walking with a 17-year-old girl through the park when the two passed a car containing five men believed to be in their early 20s. One of the men said something to Tapia and Tapia replied. One of the men opened fire with a handgun, White said.
The girl, who was not identified, was not injured. Police do not know what the confrontation was about because the exchange was in Spanish, which the girl did not understand.
After the shooting, the five men fled in an early 1980s model gray Mustang with black primer paint spots.
Detectives were unsure whether the shooting was gang-related. Though gangs congregate in Paxton Park, detectives said the victim apparently was not a gang member.
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