A pregnant woman was left fighting for her life after a gunman opened fire on a parked car in a Canoga Park alley Sunday morning.
The brazen shooting of two 22-year-old women unfolded around 7 a.m. Near an apartment complex on the 8300 block of Northgate Avenue in Canoga Park, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed. One victim, who is pregnant, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. The second woman was also hospitalized but is expected to survive.
Five people were inside the parked vehicle when a man approached and allegedly pulled out a handgun, firing at the occupants before fleeing. The vehicle did not stay put after the shooting, rolling down the alley and slamming into a refrigerator.
The gunman was described by police as a 26-year-old Hispanic man. Police initially detained a possible suspect following the shooting, but released the person after determining they were not involved in the attack.
Detectives are now scrambling to determine what sparked the attack, including whether the victims were specifically targeted or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It’s too early to say, but we have some good leads and we’re working on that,” LAPD Detective Rachel Evans said.
Investigators are also looking into whether gang activity may have played a role, although authorities have not confirmed that the shooting was gang-related.
The violence has left nearby residents rattled. Olga Valdez, who lives in the area, said the gunshots jolted her awake Sunday morning. At first, she thought she was hearing fireworks, but she estimated that she heard roughly five shots.
Valdez said the neighborhood has seen another deadly shooting in the vicinity just days earlier, fueling concerns among residents about safety. She believes increased police patrols could help reassure people living in the area.
Police have not released the victims’ identities and have not said whether they knew their attacker. For now, detectives are working to piece together exactly what happened and why the gunman singled out the vehicle, as the pregnant victim remains in critical condition.
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