By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A weekly softball game that for years has served to promote peace between Los Angeles-area gangs was marred by gunfire during the weekend that left two people dead and six wounded.
More than 500 people were in Peck Park in the city’s San Pedro neighborhood Sunday afternoon to watch the softball teams play, barbecue with family and friends, and to show off and check out low-rider vehicles.
下午4点之前，两个人之间的争议升级为一场枪战，溅到垒球钻石上。当人们争先恐后地掩护时，发射了一声枪。
“All of a sudden we heard three shots — pow, pow, pow,”目击者Dwayne Ellis告诉KABC。“Then we heard about 50 or 100 more — pow, pow, boom, boom. All kinds of shots. People were running.”
Two men who were shot died at a hospital, while four women and two other men were in stable condition. No names have been released and no arrests made.
A local nonprofit organized the softball league about five years ago to safely bring together members of different Crips sets, according to gang interventionist Skipp Townsend. Sunday’s game — just weeks after the death of the league’s founder in a car wreck — was between teams from Compton.
“It broke my heart,” Townsend, who often attends the games, told The Associated Press on Monday. “We have these type of events so we don’t have shootings.”
在周日下午，汤森（Townsend）和其他社区领导人距离公园几英里远，参加了每月的“和平之旅”，以促进高犯罪地区的团结。一天后，汤森（Townsend）被怀疑，如果他和其他人在公园里，是否可能阻止暴力行为。
He said he would have told the combatants: “You’re not going to do it here. You’re not going to ruin what we have.”
Police have offered few details about the shooting, only saying it was “gang-related” and occurred at a permitted softball game after some kind of dispute. Investigators have not yet determined how many people opened fire.
Multiple guns were discovered at the location and recovered as evidence, authorities said.
“It’s Sunday afternoon, you should be able to go and enjoy the park,” said LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz, a police spokesperson.
官员最初说,我们有五人unded and taken by paramedics to the hospital, but authorities found out later that a sixth victim went to a hospital in a private vehicle.
Peck Park is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles. Councilman Joe Buscaino represents the area and since 2020 has pushed for a measure to allow Los Angeles park rangers to carry firearms.
“Recreation staff on scene can identify potential issues and coordinate with park rangers,” Buscaino said.
Townsend said the softball games are typically positive events, adding that before Sunday there had only been one homicide linked to the league in its five years.
他说：“这并不表明每个星期日在公园里发生什么。”
