Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was fatally shot in Compton Tuesday morning, officials said.
Authorities were alerted to the gunfire shortly before 11 a.m. in the 400 block of Alondra Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Responding deputies found a man seated in the driver’s seat of a car with multiple gunshot wounds in his upper torso.
The victim, a Black 19-year-old, died at the scene, deputies said.
The intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Oleander Avenue, and the Sr. Cliff’s Texas Style Burritos restaurant at the corner, were blocked off into Tuesday afternoon while authorities investigated.
DeAnthony Langston, who helps organize showcase events for the Real Run basketball program, said the victim was a talented athlete who played for local high schools.
“He’s a local kid right here,” he said. “Everybody know him.”
Several coaches mentored the young man and hoped to keep his life on the right track, Langston said.
“We’re just really hurting right now,” he told KTLA. “There was a lot of people that put a lot of effort into not wanting this day to happen right here. You tried to do all you can to help him. And it just wasn’t enough.”
Sheriff’s detectives said they do not have a suspect description in the case, but the shooting is believed to be gang-related.
No further details were available.