Shooting may have been gang-related

DOWNEY - A shooting that was "most likely gang-related" left one teenager in critical condition at a local hospital on June 19.Police were dispatched to Washburn Road and Bellflower Boulevard at about 1:44 p.m. where they found a 17-year-old male lying on the sidewalk with two gunshot wounds. Witnesses told police the victim was fighting a man before he was shot. The suspect fled on foot eastbound on Washburn before disappearing, according to a Downey Police Department statement. Police requested a scent canine from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which traced the escape route to the 9100 block of Margaret Street. That is where Downey police arrested Bryan Labato, 18. "Based on the conversation between the victim and suspect prior to the shooting, it appears this incident was most likely gang-related," the statement said. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition after surgery. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Detective Gatfield at (562) 904-2391 or Detective Kurtz at (562) 904-2305.

********** Published: June 26, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 10