Boy, 7, Tries To Save Father Shot During Custody Exchange

LOS ANGELES, CA — A custody exchange in Granada Hills ended with a 7-year-old boy trying to staunch the flow of his father's gunshot wounds Monday night. The father, shot during a dispute with his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend, is not expected to survive, authorities said.

The 37-year-old man remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday morning. The victim was found about 7:50 p.m. Monday in the 16800 block of Chatsworth Street, according to Officer Jeff Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

The man was picking up his three children at the park from his ex-girlfriend when the two began arguing, Fox 11 reported. He reportedly spotted the woman's new boyfriend in a parked car nearby and rammed the man's vehicle. That is when the boyfriend opened fire on the man, according to authorities.

The victim's son tried to save his dad, using his hands to try to stop the bleeding, Fox 11 said. However, the victim was taken to a hospital, Lee said. He was not expected to survive.

Police arrested the boyfriend, identified by Fox 11 as 29-year-old Ernesto Lopez, on suspicion of attempted murder.

LAPD Detective Steve Castro told Fox11 domestic violence cases are probably the most dangerous incidents police respond to.

"There's a lot of emotions involved," Castro said. "In this case, apparently, the victim was having a hard time with the ex-girlfriend moving on and that causes a lot of emotional distress and irrational decisions."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this report misidentified the cross streets near the shooting.