Editor’s note: Updated to correct location of shooting scene.
A man was shot in the head and killed on a Los Angeles subway train on Friday night.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting happened around 7:22 p.m. near the La Cienega/Jefferson Station in the 5600 block of West Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles’ West Adams neighborhood.
The victim was shot while on an E Line train with other passengers nearby.
Upon arriving on scene, officers found the victim with a gunshot wound to the head, who was unconscious and not breathing. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Witnesses described feeling terrified as the shooting happened during rush-hour traffic on Friday night.
“I heard three gunshots. I thought it was fireworks. I didn’t think someone would literally be firing a gun at a train at close range,” said a witness, who did not want to be identified.
A man was killed in a shooting at a subway station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a subway station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)Shortly after the June 21, 2024, subway train shooting in Baldwin Hills, several men are seen covering their faces and running underneath the subway platform. A man was killed in a shooting at a Baldwin Hills subway station on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a subway station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a Baldwin Hills subway station on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a Baldwin Hills subway station on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a subway station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a subway station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)A man was killed in a shooting at a Baldwin Hills subway station on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)
Witnesses saw three men chasing the victim on the platform shortly after getting off the Metro Gold Line at the La Cienega/Jefferson station.
The victim jumped onto the train just before the doors closed.
“Three men were banging on the door, yelling, ‘Informer! Informer!'” the witness recalled. “The train eventually pulled away. The next thing it knew it was going to stop. Usually trains stop to let delayed passengers on, but in this case, they pulled out guns and shot the man at point-blank range.”
Three suspects, described as Hispanic men, were seen fleeing the scene on skateboards.
“It appears there was some sort of altercation between a group of males on the ground floor,” explained LAPD Capt. Jamie Bennett. “They ran up the stairs and onto a train that was waiting here to unload passengers. Shots were fired inside the train. The suspect then ran down the stairs and left the platform.”
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Security cameras showed several men running under the station platform shortly after the shots were fired. One man can be seen covering his face. Police have not confirmed whether the men are the same suspect.
But witnesses believe the men were definitely involved.
“They were exactly the same person because there was no one else here, it was just them,” the witness said. “The vehicle I was in was very empty. There were only about six people in it, but usually there are a lot more.”
Sky 5 video showed a large number of police officers investigating the scene and sealing off the subway station.
“Due to police activity at the Expo/La Cienega station, all E Line trains will be turning back from Culver City and La Brea stations,” Metro officials said.
For the time being, train service between La Brea and La Cienega will be replaced by a bus shuttle.
Friday’s deadly shooting comes on the heels of an alarming increase in violent crime across the public transportation system, including shootings, stabbings, assaults, robberies and hijackings – some of which have been fatal – aimed at subway passengers and drivers.
Metro officials in May voted to approve an “immediate increase” in law enforcement to patrol buses, trains and stations to address concerns from drivers and passengers.
The latest public safety data from across LA Metro’s transit systems can be found here.
The victim’s identity has not been released pending completion of an investigation by the coroner’s office.