Woman killed, 2 wounded after gunfire erupts at Beverly Crest mansion party

CBSLA
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 21:15 UTC

One woman was killed and two other people were wounded after shots were fired at a large party at a mansion in the upscale hillside neighborhood of Beverly Crest in the early morning hours Tuesday.

The shooting occurred at around 1:15 a.m. at a home in the 13200 block of West Mulholland Drive, the Los Angeles Fire Department reports. In a video posted by one party goer to Instagram, about 20 gunshots could be heard. There appeared to be two rounds of gunfire. Following the second, there was chaos as people tried to run to safety.

Officers arrived on scene to find two women and a man with gunshot wounds, Los Angeles police Lt. Chris Ramirez said at a news briefing Tuesday morning.

All three were rushed to local hospitals, where one of the women, believed to be about 35-years-old, died. The two others were in stable condition, Ramirez said.

A fourth woman suffered a non-firearm-related wrist injury while fleeing. Another man who was at the party checked himself into a local hospital, but later checked out. No names were released.

There is no word on a motive, although it is being treated as gang-related, Ramirez said. No suspects have been identified or arrested.

News cameras captured a skirmish outside the home following the gunfire.

Kennie D. Leggett, who identified himself to CBSLA as the head of security for the party, alleged it was being thrown to celebrate a player recently getting drafted to an NFL team, but did not clarify the name of the player or which team he was drafted to.

"We have money," Leggett said. "We are people. This, COVID I mean, is just pushing us out everywhere, and we have nothing, so the only thing we do have is Airbnbs to rent, swimming pools for our kids, to do big things and things of that nature."

On Monday night, about six hours prior to the shooting, police had responded to numerous complaints from neighbors worried about the size of the crowd. Pack buses were seen dropping dozens of people off at the home. When officers first arrived at about 7 p.m. Monday, they found about 200 people.

Ramirez confirmed that at the time, officers cited and impounded some vehicles. However, they determined that the noise and music coming from the mansion was in compliance, and eventually left.

"When the officers arrived, they did notice large amounts of people on the roadway and vehicles kind of blocking, double parked and stuff, stacked on the roadway," Ramirez said. "At that point, the officers met with the responsible party and security officers at that location. They were able to get their compliance, to help get the people back into the private party, and at the same time, did some enforcement."

The company that manages the short-term rental property told CBSLA Monday it was the first it had heard of the party. The company added that it had advised the renters that the party was a serious violation of the rental agreement and further asked them to vacate the home.

While large gatherings are prohibited in L.A. County due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, dozens of people could be seen from overhead at the party with very few wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.

Despite the local health order, LAPD said its officers could not enter the premises to break up the party without a warrant. There were police on scene for traffic and noise control.

Leggett said his security team had been told to stay until 3 a.m., when the party was expected to end.

Comment: The woman who was killed is another unseen death connected to the lockdown. Why isn't this even a part of the conversation?