A vigil was announced Saturday for a 52-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man who were fatally shot in a possible gang-related shooting in downtown Los Angeles nearly a week ago.
Africa Johnson was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead following the shooting moments after 1 a.m. Monday at 14th Place and Paloma Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Gregory DeRisso, another shooting victim who was identified by the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner on Tuesday, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Both shootings were classified as homicides.
The vigil was planned for 5 p.m. Sunday at 1020 East 14th Place where the shooting occurred, said Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope. The area is located southeast of the Fashion District and two blocks north of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway.
In addition to mourning Johnson and DeRisso, those attending the rally will formally ask the Los Angeles City Council to offer a reward for the arrest and prosecution of whomever is responsible for the shooting, Ali said.
“We know someone knows something,” he said.
Johnson was a mother and a grandmother, Ali told City News Service. “It’s an epidemic of gun violence that continues to plague our nation and Los Angeles,” he said.
Several others were wounded in the shooting. A 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old man were rushed to a hospital in critical condition, police added. Three men, ages 62, 28 and 26, and a 28-year-old woman were all taken to hospitals by ambulance with stable vital signs, an LAPD spokeswoman said.
Fox11 reported that the violence resulted from an argument at a warehouse party.
Police have not released any motive for the shooting or a suspect description. Their investigation remains ongoing.