Two men were shot, one of them fatally, by a late-night visitor to a Van Nuys home early Saturday morning, according to officials.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a man approached a home in the 15100 block of Gilmore Street at about 1:40 a.m. and knocked on the door of a home containing two Armenian men.
When one man inside the house opened the door, the visitor spoke to that man and another inside the home in Armenian, then opened fire, striking both men, police said.
One victim, believed to be about 50 years old, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The other victim, 44, was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
The shooter, who is also Armenian, remains at large, police said. His identity and age remain unknown, though he was last seen wearing a dark sweatshirt and black baseball cap.
Police believe the suspect had to climb over a large wrought iron fence/gate surrounding the home in order to break in.
Two sisters who live across the street said they heard two loud gunshots ring out in the middle of the night.
“We didn’t think it would be right in front of our house,” said Ana Carrillo. “But we checked the Citizen app and it said there was a man armed right in front of our house. It was scary because we didn’t know what to do.”
Another neighbor told KTLA he noticed a lot of late-night activity and a variety of vehicles and people visiting the victim’s home recently.
“They just moved in recently and now this is happening,” said Maria Carillo. “‘What are they in?’ It just makes us ask questions.”
Investigators said they are unsure of the relationship between the shooter and victims, but the attack was not gang-related.
“Both victims, they’re related somehow,” said Detective Mark O’Donnell. “At this point, we don’t know how. Distant relatives, potentially cousins. It’s unusual, obviously, which leads us to believe the victim possibly knew the suspect and vice versa.”
Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.
