One man died and two other people were injured after a shooting Saturday night in Boyle Heights.

Police said the shooting took place at 8:50 p.m. near the corner of Malabar and Fickett streets.

According to officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department, the victims were “standing in front of the location having a verbal dispute with a male Hispanic suspect. The suspect fired multiple rounds at the victims, striking them.”

The decedent, a 29-year-old Hispanic male, was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics. UPDATE: He was later identified by the Coroner’s office as Rafael Baez, of Los Angeles.

The other two victims –a 28-year-old male Hispanic, and 27-year-old Hispanic female– were taken to a local hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department in critical condition. No updates on the status of their condition have been released.

Madison added that the suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction. It is unclear if the shooting was gang related.

It was the second Saturday in a row in which a homicide was committed in Boyle Heights. A 15-year-old boy was shot to death on Jan. 2 in Prospect Park.

This story was updated on January 12 at 2:30 pm to include the victim’s identification.





Albert Serna Jr. is an investigative reporter from Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley. Serna Jr. earned a B.A. in journalism and queer ethnic studies from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in investigative journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Over the course of his career, Serna Jr. has covered everything from local crime, culture and city councils to national criminal justice, extremism and indigenous affairs. He currently sits on the board for the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists and is a member of Investigative Reporters & Editors. Serna Jr. teaches journalism at Mt. San Antonio College and plays in the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association.

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