Lexus Gutierrez was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday in the 600 block of South Humphreys Avenue, near Humphreys Avenue Elementary School. It happened around 11 a.m. as she sat in a friend's car.
[Ads /]
The owner of the car was struck in the hand and another friend in the backseat was unhurt, but relatives say Gutierrez was hit in the head.
"A car drove by and just shot at them and unfortunately she was the one that was hit," said Patricia Ramirez, Lexus' aunt. "She had a big heart, she was kind, she was very loving and she was loved."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau is investigating the shooting. The department said a small, four-door sedan was spotted leaving the scene.
[Ads /]
Gutierrez's family is hoping the crime may have been caught on nearby security cameras, or that someone will come forward and identify the shooter.
"All we're looking for is justice, justice for an innocent person," Ramirez told Eyewitness News. "I can't understand, I can't comprehend how you can continue to go on with your life knowing that you took the life of someone innocent."
A GoFundMe page has been set up in Gutierrez's family.
A vigil is scheduled to be held at the scene of the shooting, 601 South Humphreys Avenue, where a makeshift memorial has been created on the sidewalk.
Anyone with information that could help find the shooter is urged to call CrimeStoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (800-222-8477).