Deadly weekend continues as L.A. County sheriff reports two homicides Sunday

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives are investigating two homicides that occurred Sunday afternoon — one in Compton and the other in Lennox.

The killings come less than a day after the Sheriff’s Department reported three separate homicides in Pico Rivera, near Los Angeles International Airport and in East Los Angeles.

In the first incident Sunday, a man was fatally shot around 3:20 p.m. in the 1200 block of Central Avenue in Compton. Just over an hour later, another man was shot to death in the 10100 block of Inglewood Avenue in Lennox.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department had not released additional details about the shootings.

Saturday night was marked by bloodshed across the department’s jurisdiction.

The first incident occurred in Pico Rivera about 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the 9000 block of Reichling Lane, sheriff’s 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 him, Westphal said.

The vehicle, believed to be a Chevy Suburban SUV, continued down the street, then turned back around, Westphal said. The occupants looked at the victim and drove away. The victim, 30, 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. One man was shot several times in the lower torso, Westphal said.

The victim, whom authorities had yet to identify, was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s lieutenant said. The shooter was believed to have been in the post-funeral crowd, Westphal said.

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 in his 30s 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 in his upper body, Lugo said. 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.

Times staff writer Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.