Two men and a woman were found shot to death in two separate vehicles in a California desert over the weekend – but the circumstances surrounding the killings remain shrouded in mystery as investigators scramble to piece together what happened.
Deputies with Lancaster Sheriff’s Station responded to 215th Street East and East Avenue Q in a remote area of Lake Los Angeles just before 5 p.m. on Sunday to reports of gunshots, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.
When deputies arrived, they found a 65-year-old Hispanic woman who had been gunned down inside one of the vehicles. They also located two men fatally shot in an SUV.
All three were pronounced dead at the scene by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Investigators learned the two male victims were traveling westbound on Avenue Q in a full-size SUV with a trailer attached, while the female victim was following in a second vehicle directly behind them, according to an updated press release.
The suspect approached in a vehicle from the west and shot the three victims before fleeing the scene on 215th Street. A description of the suspect, or suspects, was not available.
The identities of the victims have not been released. But according to the release, one of the victims has been identified as a 44-year-old Hispanic man. The second male victim has not been identified, although he appears to be a Hispanic man in his 40s, investigators said.
An investigation is underway to determine a motive for the fatal shootings.
“We’re asking the public’s help if anybody knows what occurred out here,” LASD Lt. Steve DeJong said.
Tips can be reported to the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.
The area has seen deadly violence before.
Last year, six people were fatally shot in nearby El Mirage in what authorities said stemmed from a dispute over illegal marijuana.
Whether Sunday’s killings are connected to criminal activity remains unknown.
