2 deceased victims in South Los Angeles drive-by shooting ID'd as UC Irvine grad student, father-to-be

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The two men who were killed Wednesday evening in a South Los Angeles triple shooting were identified as a UC Irvine graduate student who aspired to work for NASA and a father-to-be whose girlfriend's baby shower was just days away.

José Flores Velazquez's name was released by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, which said he was a 24-year-old Los Angeles resident. Alfredo Carrera, also 24, was identified by family members.

According to relatives, Flores had stopped by the home of his childhood friend Carrera to drop off a gift for Saturday's planned baby shower. Carrera's girlfriend is pregnant with his first child, a baby boy.

The men were standing in front of the home in the 1100 block of East 68th Street about 7 p.m. when a dark-colored sedan pulled up to them, investigators said. Someone inside the vehicle opened fire, striking the two friends and a third victim who was standing nearby.

One of the victims died at the scene; the two others were transported to a hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead. The third victim's condition was unknown.

Friends and loved ones said neither Flores nor Carrera had any gang affiliations.

In an interview, a tearful Ramon Flores described his son as "a good boy."

"So I don't understand life in this moment," the distraught father said. "It's too hard for me."

The elder Flores proudly showed reporters his son's diploma in physics from Cal Poly Pomona, as well as a certificate of completion from Harvard University's Aztlán Institute.

The shooter remained at large. No detailed description was available.

GoFundMe pages have been set up for Alfredo Carrera and José Flores Velazquez.