Possible Gang Shootings in Echo Park Break Holiday Quiet

Those of us who look carefully at local crime statistics know that it's been quiet at the core of Echo Park of late.

But this weekend blew that notion away, as two drive-by shootings claimed victims.

A father was shot in the buttocks Saturday night at Berkeley Avenue and Mohawk Street as he reached over to care for his baby. Shots rang out from a vehicle reportedly headed east on Berkeley as well as from a man who was standing near the car, according to a posting on the Eastsider.

Then, the next morning at around 11 a.m., a known gang member was fired upon from a vehicle, up Echo Park Avenue near Baxter Street. He was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition.

The Eastsider reports that LAPD Northeast Division gang detectives believe the second shooting is a possible retaliation for the first, though the man struck in the first was not a gang member.

The shootings also occurred on opposite sides of Glendale Boulevard, a dividing line for two rival gangs in Echo Park.

Police reportedly have gang intervention pros working in the community now to keep things from escalating. They've also ramped up patrols. 

Interestingly, the first incident occurred just a block away where many had gathered through the early evening to attend an artisans' fair at Bedrock LA studios.

Some parked along the stretch of Berkeley Avenue where the shooting occurred and were walking up and down Berkely to park through much of the day and early evening.