Detectives Seek Witnesses in Deadly East LA Shooting

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded at about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, to the area of Sixth Street and Fraser Avenue in East Los Angeles after a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said. Deputies found a teenage boy with a gunshot wound and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Family and friends later identified the victim as 17-year-old Joshua Aila. Detectives said the gunman fled and the investigation remained open as of Sunday. ### Who was the teenager killed in the shooting? Family and friends identified the victim as Joshua Aila, 17, NBC Los Angeles reported. Relatives told the station that Aila had been driving home after getting food with his younger brother when he was shot about a half-mile from where he lived. Friends told NBC Los Angeles that Aila worked as a boxing coach and mentored other teenagers in the neighborhood. (ktla.com) A memorial with candles, flowers, photographs and handwritten notes was set up near his home, the station reported. ### Where did the shooting happen, and what have deputies said? Sixth Street and Fraser Avenue was the location sheriff's deputies gave for the shooting scene in East Los Angeles. (nbclosangeles.com) KTLA reported that deputies were dispatched there shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday and found the wounded juvenile on arrival. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the victim was taken to a local hospital and later died. (nbclosangeles.com) Authorities have not publicly released a suspect description beyond the vehicle tied to the shooting. ### What do investigators know about the shooter? Investigators said the shooter got into a dark-colored SUV and drove east on Sixth Street after the gunfire. NBC Los Angeles and KTLA both reported that no further suspect description had been released by Saturday night. (ktla.com) Authorities said it was not yet clear whether the shooting was gang-related. That assessment came from sheriff's investigators cited by KTLA and NBC Los Angeles as the homicide inquiry continued. (ktla.com) ### What are detectives asking witnesses to do now? The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department asked anyone with information to contact its Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. KTLA reported that anonymous tips can also be submitted through L.A. (ktla.com) Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, while NBC Los Angeles listed the anonymous tip line as 800-222-8477. East Los Angeles Station is the local sheriff's station serving the unincorporated community, according to the department's website. (ktla.com) The station lists its public line as 323-264-4151 and its address as 5019 E. Third St., East Los Angeles. ### What happens next in the investigation? Homicide detectives are continuing to seek witness accounts and any video that could help identify the gunman, according to the public appeals carried by local news outlets. (ktla.com) The Sheriff's Department had not announced an arrest by Sunday, and no court case had been publicly identified in connection with the killing. Anyone who saw the shooting near Sixth Street and Fraser Avenue on May 16, or who has information about the dark-colored SUV investigators described, is being asked to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers. (lasd.org) (ktla.com)