An 8-year-old boy wounded in the head by a stray bullet fired by a gunman who entered his Del Rey home on Easter Sunday and confronted his father remained hospitalized today in critical but stable condition, as police continued their efforts to find the shooter.
The shooting happened in the 11000 block of Wagner Street just before midnight Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The boy’s mother was also at home at the time.
“The father was transferring his 8-year-old from his bedroom into his child’s bedroom when he heard the front door open,” LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado said. “At that point, he assumed it was his 20-year-old son.”
Instead, the resident was confronted by the gunman, who had walked in through the unlocked door. The suspect got into an argument with the father and began pursuing him through the house, firing about 10 shots, some of which penetrated the wall of the boy’s bedroom, police said.
No description was available of the suspect, other than he was a male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. Family members told police they did not know the suspect, and investigators had no idea what the motive was.