Police got reports of a gang fistfight near Magnolia Avenue and 15th Street about 4 p.m., LAPD spokesman Jason Lee told Channel 2000. Citizens reported hearing the shots about 30 minutes later, he said.
According to CBS 2 News' Jason Carrol, a group of gang members was hanging out in front of a home when a rival gang walked by. There was a war of words, which turned into gunfire.
"We just heard a bunch of gunshots and we started running," local resident Mary Cruz Ambrosio told CBS 2 News. "Before we knew it, someone was killed."
The victim was the mother of one of the gang members, who went to the window to find out what the disturbance was all about, said Carrol.
When police officers arrived, the gang members were gone and the fatally wounded woman had been left in their wake, said Lee.
"She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival," Lt. Don Hills of the LAPD told CBS 2 News.
The victim's name has not been released. Investigators are looking for several male Latinos, who were last seen running southbound on Magnolia St.
Erik Nelso Channel 2000 Staff Writer
Woman Killed by Stray Gang Gunfire
Mother of Gang Member Caught in Middle of Disturbance
LOS ANGELES, Updated 6:50 p.m. January 16, 1997 -- The mother of a gang member was killed by apparent stray gunfire in Pico Union Friday afternoon.