Violence across Los Angeles County over the weekend claimed at least 17 lives, a deadly tally that included five people found shot to death in Long Beach, authorities said.
The deaths in Los Angeles were concentrated in the southern part of the city. Cases handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were spread across its patrol areas, investigators said.
The incidents come as homicides are slightly down so far this year compared with the same period in 2007 in L.A. But LAPD Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said the LAPD was "pulling out all the stops" to address the violence.
He said the LAPD was working with the community to organize a gang summit by Wednesday. In addition, he said the department was deploying "many more officers on the street."
The weekend violence began with a shooting involving a 20-year-old man who was shot and killed Friday at 9 p.m. while walking with a female companion in the 43800 block of Fallon Drive in Lancaster.
A gunman emerged from a dark-colored compact car and shot the man in the upper torso with a shotgun, said Deputy Derrick A. Thompson of the Sheriff's Department.
The man died at the scene. The woman was uninjured, Thompson said. Detectives believe the shooting may have been gang-related.
About two hours later, Damion Cook, 39, was shot and killed in the 1100 block of West 90th Street in the Vermont Knolls area.
Authorities believe the shooting may have been connected to an attempted robbery and are looking for two men last seen running from the scene.
At 11:45 p.m., officers with the LAPD's Southwest Division responded to a shooting in the 2000 block of West 48th Street near Arlington Street. Investigators said Carrington Henderson, 25, of Los Angeles was standing in the street when he was hit several times by shots fired from a mid-sized car or sport utility vehicle. Henderson was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The killing is believed to be gang-related, police said.
Shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday in East Los Angeles, a 27-year-old man was fatally shot and two others were injured at a party in the 4200 block of Michigan Avenue, said Deputy Rick Pedroza.
The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives believe the attack may have been gang-related.
At 1:05 a.m., LAPD officers responded to a shooting near Century Boulevard and Central Avenue.
