Gunman fires into a downtown LA crowd, wounding two, and flees on foot

Two people were wounded, one of them critically, when a man fired into a crowd in downtown Los Angeles early Sunday and then ran, ABC7 reports, citing the Los Angeles Police Department.

What police say happened

The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Main Street, in a rear alley off the intersection, where a large crowd had gathered. According to the LAPD, a verbal altercation escalated, and a suspect brandished a handgun and fired into the crowd.

Two people were hit. One was left in critical condition and the other in stable condition. The suspect, described only as a man in his 30s, fled on foot and remained at large as of the department's account.

An early, still-forming picture

This is a fresh, early-stage report, and it is worth marking what is and isn't settled. Initial reports indicated four people had been shot, but investigators later determined that only two were injured by gunfire, a revision that is common in the first hours after a chaotic scene and a reminder to treat early casualty counts as provisional.

The investigation is also facing a familiar obstacle: police say witnesses, including the victim in stable condition, were not cooperating with investigators. That tends to slow the work of identifying a suspect and establishing exactly what led to the shooting, and it is part of why no motive has been offered beyond the altercation that preceded it.

What is not yet known

The account does not name the suspect or provide a detailed description beyond his approximate age, does not identify the victims, and does not explain what the altercation was about or why the crowd had gathered in an alley at that hour. The Herald is not going to fill those gaps with speculation.

What is established is straightforward and serious: a shooting in the heart of downtown wounded two people overnight, one gravely, and the person responsible has not been caught. We will update this story as the LAPD releases more, including any suspect description, arrest, or word on the condition of the person critically hurt. Anyone with information can contact the LAPD.