Jose Vera-Eugenio, L.A. Homicide No. 16: 21-Year-Old Man Murdered in South L.A. While Sitting in Car

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The street where Jose Vera-Eugenio was killed

A Latino man shot dead on January 17 was later identified as 21-year-old Jose Vera-Eugenio. Coroner's records show the victim sustained multiple gunshots to the head and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime.

Three men, including Vera-Eugenio, pulled a car up in front of a home on the 500 block of West 98th Street, just a block away from Charles W Barnett Elementary School.

At 9:15 p.m., two men allegedly approached the car on foot and shot the three victims multiple times, killing Vera-Eugenio and injuring the other two.

According to the City News Service, LAPD chased the two alleged shooters down 98th and into a residential area. After catching one suspect at 10:30 p.m., additional helmet-clad, shotgun-wielding officers combed through the neighborhood with the help of police dogs and apprehended the other suspect by midnight.

The Los Angeles Times reported that both suspects were known gang members. Officers consider the crime to be gang-related, but don't believe any of the three victims were involved in gangs. As of early the next morning, the alleged shooters were not arrested, but were "detained pending investigation," according to authorities.

The other two men in the car with Vera-Eugenio were brought to a local hospital to be treated. They had been shot multiple times in chest and legs, but survived the attack.

Note: Due to technical difficulties, the LA Weekly's archive of all homicides within Los Angeles city limits was discontinued near the end of last year. We will be rolling out the 2011 homicides, one by one, until our "Murder was the Case" archive is up to date. Thanks for your patience.