A man was fatally shot in Palms this afternoon in a suspected gang-related attack in the same area where a series of shootings occurred nearly a week ago.
Police called to the 3300 block of Mentone Avenue at 2:27 p.m. found the man in an alley with a gunshot wound to the chest, said Officer Tony Im of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section.
The man, who was not immediately identified, was declared dead at the scene, Im said. The shooter may have fled in a dark-colored Dodge Ram pickup truck, he said.
A series of shootings in the area last Thursday left one man dead and four others wounded and resulted in the arrest on Friday night of an Inglewood man.
A murder charge was filed today against James Pickens, 37, who was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
The motive for the Thursday shootings was not disclosed by police, who did not immediately say if there was a connection with this afternoon’s gunfire.
The previous series of shootings began just before 3 last Thursday afternoon, when two men were shot at Woodbine Park, at Woodbine Street and Vinton Avenue. Justin Aguilar, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Moments after that shooting, another man was shot and critically wounded at the intersection of Motor and Vinton avenues, then two other men were shot at the intersection of Overland Avenue and National Boulevard. Two of the three non-critically injured victims were released after hospital treatment, police said.
Police went on tactical alert for about 3 1/2 hours last Thursday, which allowed the LAPD to keep officers on the job beyond the end of their shifts, and Palms Middle School and Palms Elementary School were placed on temporary lockdown.
