Baby struck by gunfire during Harbor City double murder
Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department have identified a man and a woman who were fatally gunned down Monday night in Harbor City while they sat in their vehicle, an attack that also left the couple’s baby wounded by gunfire.
The shooting was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of West 253rd Street, an LAPD spokesperson confirmed. Investigators believe the three victims were sitting in their vehicle when a suspect, or suspects, walked up and fired multiple rounds before fleeing the area.
At the scene, officers found 21-year-old Carlos Loera, 18-year-old Ashley Guzman and their 1-year-old son suffering from gunshot wounds, an LAPD news release stated.
Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and pronounced Loera dead at the scene. Guzman was rushed to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Police say the 1-year-old was struck by gunfire while seated in a child safety seat in the backseat of the vehicle. He was also taken to the hospital for medical treatment and was later released to family members. No information was provided on the extent of the child’s injuries.
Video of the scene showed a heavy police presence with multiple evidence markers in the street just outside of a vehicle that had visible bullet holes across the driver’s side of the car. The child’s seat, which was taken out of the victim’s vehicle, was also seen.
Ashley Guzman (left), 18, and Carlos Loera (right), 21, gunned down on Sept. 4, 2023, in Harbor City. A child’s car seat seen after a double fatal shooting in Harbor City that killed a man and a woman and injured their 1-year-old boy on Sept. 4, 2023. (OnSceneTV) Evidence markers seen outside of a vehicle with visible bullet holes after a double fatal shooting in Harbor City on Sept. 4, 2023. (OnSceneTV) Bullet holes seen in the driver’s side window of a vehicle after a double murder in Harbor City on Sept. 4, 2023. (OnSceneTV) Police investigate a fatal shooting in Harbor City on Sept. 4, 2023. (OnScene.TV)
Detectives with LAPD’s South Bureau Homicide are asking for the public’s help in providing any information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in the deadly shooting.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide Division Southeast Squad Detectives Fraga and Ybanez at 323-786-5100 or 323-786-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at L.A. Crime Stoppers.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.