Two Dead, One Wounded in Penmar Park Shooting

Two people were killed and one other was wounded Wednesday afternoon when a gunman opened fire in a reportedly gang-related shooting at Penmar Park in Venice, police said.

The shooting occurred about 4:10 p.m. when a man walked up with a 9 mm handgun and opened fire, said Capt. Gary Walker of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"We believe it is a gang-related shooting," Walker said.

Homicide and gang-unit detectives were on the scene and nine bullet casings were found, Walker said.

"We have a very in-depth investigation going on at this time," Walker said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. One victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other was shot in the leg and is expected to survive. A fourth person was shot at but was not struck, police said.

Frank Diaz was serving as an umpire in a girls softball game at the park when he said he heard multiple shots fired.

"They were pretty clean-cut, just down there talking," Diaz said of the victims who were near the bleachers of the baseball diamond at the time of the shooting.

A teenager playing softball said she saw the gunman and described him as a thin Hispanic man in baggy clothes. She gave police a partial license plate of a silver Volkswagen station wagon that fled the scene.

Officers cordoned off Lake Street between Glyndon and Walgrove avenues as they continued their investigation.

Police said they do not have a suspect in custody. Further information was not immediately available.