A 7-year-old boy who was at a park registering for a basketball league was shot to death and his infant brother was wounded - victims caught in the crossfire of what police believe was a gang-related shooting.
Evan Foster was shot in the head and died at the scene, Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Scott Carrier said.Evan's 10-month-old brother, Alec, hit in the face by bullet fragments, was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday night, Sgt. Michael McBride said.
No arrests were made, police said.
"Certainly it's a very heinous crime," McBride said. "It's right before Christmas. We're talking about a 7-year-old who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The shooting occurred Monday evening as the boys and their mother were in their car at the Darby Park recreation center, where Evan was a regular for years. He began in a preschool program and when he was old enough began participating in the park's summer day camp and winter basketball league.
As the family was leaving, a car pulled up and two men with rifles got out and approached a man standing outside another car. After a brief conversation, the man ran away from the gunman - toward the Foster family car.
Rhonda Foster saw the tensions brewing and tried to move her car out of the way, but the gunmen fired several shots, authorities said.
She found Evan slumped over in the back seat, bleeding from his head, and Alec bleeding from the face.