UPDATED: LAPD investigating shooting near USC
A non-USC male was shot in the stomach by a drive-by shooter near the corner of 29th and Hoover Streets early Saturday morning.
Students report hearing several gunshots around 12:30 a.m. — most students said they heard between four and six shots. Dept. of Public Safety and LAPD officers responded to the scene, and helicopters began circling the USC area around that time.
Brandon Hui | Daily Trojan
City News Service initially reported the shooting took place at or near 1138 W. 29th St. and that the victim, a man in his 20s, had been at a party at USC student housing. DPS Capt. David Carlisle, however, later confirmed that there was no USC involvement at all.
Carlisle said the victim, identified by LAPD as a black male, was shot near 1162 W. 29th St., then ran to near 1138 W. 29th St. before collapsing on the ground. Regent Apartments, a USC housing complex, is located at 1138 W. 29th St. There was blood on the sidewalk near that location after the shooting.
Louis Wright, a resident of 1162 W. 29th St., confirmed there was a party being held at the house at the time of the incident.
Wright also assisted in turning several individuals away from the party in the minutes leading up to the shooting.
“There was a party going on and people couldn’t get in because they were too intoxicated,” Wright said. “We turned them away, and then there were some shots.”
Jacob Copman, a sophomore majoring in international relations and chemical engineering who was on the corner of 29th and Orchard Avenue at the time of the shooting, said he heard six gunshots and saw six LAPD officers rush to the scene almost immediately.
Brandon Hui | Daily Trojan
Students who were at a nearby party on 29th said they had heard an argument happening outside just before they heard the gunshots.
Erica Dolcini, a senior majoring in policy, planning and development, said the argument prompted her and others at the party to call DPS, and while they were on the phone with DPS they heard the sound of shots being fired.
“It’s kind of terrifying because it’s one of those moments where you just don’t know how quickly they were going to respond,” Dolcini said, adding that everyone in the house moved away from the windows as soon as they heard the gunshots.
Andrew Joncich, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering who was in the same house as Dolcini, said he heard four or five shots go off “in quick succession.”
DPS said they refrained from issuing a Trojans Alert early Saturday morning because there was no USC involvement in the incident.
“It appears that someone was specifically targeted, and at this point it didn’t appear that anyone from USC would have been an intended target, which is why the Trojan Alert didn’t go out,” Carlisle said. “It was not considered to be an ongoing threat.”
Brandon Hui | Daily Trojan
Officers at the scene said the victim was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to an LAPD spokesperson.
Most officers had left the scene by about 1:30 a.m.
ATVN reports some students said the gunshots sounded similar to the sound of a cap gun.
An LAPD spokesperson said police are searching for four black males. The incident has been classified as non-gang related.
Best to shoot back at these idiots intent on hurting people. That will teach them!
DPS needs to be clear if they agree they made a mistake in not alerting students OR they need to confirm that they did what they thought was right and till continue such practices in the future. What about it DPS – if a shooting occurs in that area this weekend, will students be alerted or do you not believe innocent by-standers get shot as well? The logic still does not stand with me – will bullets understand if a person is registered with USC or not?
This incident is exactly why the alert system was put in place. USC is located in a dangerous part of the city. Just look at Crime Map LA. If alerts are not meant to notify students in cases like this shooting – then when would DPS issue an alert? It is very unclear what their policy is if this situation did not merit an alert.
Am I the only one troubled by the photo of the officer from the USC Department of Public Safety who looks about 100 punds overweight, has a mack truck tire hanging around his waistline, just standing there grinning? How is this gargantuan fat man supposed to chase after armed suspects or respond with physical intervention if I’m in danger? Is there no fitness test or health requirement for public safety officers at USC? This guy would get winded and out of breath if he had to run 1 block. I can see how this fitness level would work if he was a linebacker for our football team, but not as the image of safety and security at USC. Put the extra large pizza down and back away from the feeding trough.
Yes, DPS responded in a timely manner. Yes, they are on every street corner. Yes, USC is in urban LA.. Yes, I’m also a parent of a student that just graduated and one child still atending USC and YES, I’m concerned about her safety. Everything ws done as it should have been in these curcumtances, EXCEPT sending an alert out to the students! What was SC thinking or not? This happened right in the heart of student housing, yet the students were not notified of immenent danger, just because it wasn’t a student targeted? Where is the logic here? We can’t shelter our kids, but we can certainly alert them to possible danger. Please USC, be smart and let’s be safe. My daughter told me bout the shooting and her next sentence was that they were not alerted to the possible danger. Where do you think the students are at 12:30 on a Saturday night? All around and near where this crime took place. USC…wake up and alert our students!
Amen!
If I was a mugger, rapist or just plain cold killer, it would be reassuring to know USC does NOT always issue an alert when a shooting occurs.
I am curious why not only was an alert not sent out but why not even send it out with a description? Isn’t it better to leverage the eyes and ears of the students that are out there? If the alert was sent out and let’s say 5 minutes later I am a student who happens to be at Fig/28th and see 4 men with the similar description as the shooting from my apartment window, wouldn’t it be great if I can simply call DPS with this info? This entire episode was such a total fail on DPS’s part in so many ways.
DPS’s incredibly stupid response as to why they did not issue an alert should be an red flag to all parents. This is the kind of thinking that pervades a dept in charge of your children’s safety. I find it absolutely unacceptable that a shooting occurs in the middle of a neighborhood surrounded by USC students on a Saturday night and there are no alerts issued. Why not err on the side of safety and just issue an alert???? The worst that can happen is students that are walking home from a night out stay away from the area for a while. Seriously – do you realize how many students live in spitting distance from this location where the shooting occurred???
I suppose this is the kind of service we can expect in the future from DPS. If another shooting occurred in the area (and believe me – the chances of that happening are very good) if the victim is a non-USC person, DPS might continue to neglect issuing an alert. The gunman looking for a quick getaway might simply walk up to an unsuspecting student at an intersection and car jack them or worse – all because the student was unaware to avoid an certain area in the immediate aftermath of a violent crime.
Why even have this alert system in place if USC is going to be afraid of using it for fear it might bring bad PR to the neighborhood. This kind of politically correct thinking pervades this institution, even to the detriment of the students’ safety. Shame on you DPS for not using an alert system on a Saturday night when a shooting occurred near the intersection of 29th and Hoover. For those in the area know just how many USC students call that area home.
I live only a few blocks away from campus. USC does a lot to keep students safe. What happened was unfortunate, but I don’t think it should deter people from attending this fine institution. We can’t place a bubble over campus and the surrounding area to keep all the chaos out…. Trust me, I went to undergrad in Boulder, CO. and there were still plenty of stupid people who did stupid things. My advice, teach your children common sense and they will have a better chance navigating this unpredictable world.
Cheers and FIGHT ON!
My son was two doors away when this happened and said he heard at least 6 shots. What I don’t understand is if the police were “right there” why didn’t they catch these four suspects? USC can put as many DPS as it wants near the campus, but it obviously doesn’t help crime from occuring, does it? As parents who spend over $200,000 to have our son attend USC, we insist that the president address the real issue and that is unsafe streets that run right through campus. Whether it’s a hit-and-run which killed our son’s dear friend two years ago, thefts from criminals who can drive away quickly, or these “drive bys” the real solution is for USC to 1) purchase much of the housing near campus so that it’s ALL students near the Row 2) turn the streets around campus into boardwalks and route the traffic AROUND campus and the surrounding housing and 3) build a lovely brick fence around this area. Our daughter is a top athlete that USC will be recruiting and we won’t let her go there unless USC wakes up and make the necessary improvements before another student gets killed. We love USC, but it’s time to work toward better protection so the reputation of this great institution doesn’t suffer.
I agree with this parent. I too have a son who lives across the street from where the victim collapsed. Clearly, USC students are at risk. USC must respond to the credible threat to its students. Innocent people are often hit by gunfire during drive-by shootings.
Yes,LAPD and helicopters were on the scene as soon as possible.
That is not enough to ensure the safety of USC students.
Dear sir or madame,
USC repudiates the fact that it’s in a VERY DANGEROUS part of Los Angeles. It touts its recent rise in academic rankings, its legacy in football, etc. But these milestones don’t erase the fact that suburban white kids, from coddled backgrounds, come here, to “nine-triple-zero-seven,” while lacking street smarts; they’re “walking targets” around here. These kids don’t play low key; that is, they don’t heed the advice of DPS about walking in groups, obscuring their valuables i.e. iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc. and they walk around the ‘hood with caution thrown to the wind. Gentrification my ass.
Do not be so naive to think that the LAPD or DPS work like “guardian angels.” You’re acting unreasonable.
There is a political motive as to why USC didn’t white flight it out of “South Central.”
Based on that argument, don’t let your kid go to Yale or Penn either… In fact, don’t let them leave the house!
USC has made tons of improvements. USC doesn’t need to wake up, parents like you do. You can’t shelter your kids forever.
Calm down, calm down! Rent is getting higher and higher, gentrification is on it’s way! Soon all the “scary people” will go away and then us educated white folk will feel safe and sound! Hey maybe they’ll even turn Superior market into a Trader Joe’s!
That’s what you really want, right?
Yup LAPD/DPS were in the area as people were running.
The fact that they didn’t send out a Trojan Alert just because USC wasn’t involved is ridiculous. If something like this happens so near students, their safety is still a concern. And there are SO many students living on 29th. I’m extremely disappointed that DPS didn’t send out a Trojan Alert. I think they’re a great way to keep the USC community safe and aware.
Agreed
LAPD/DPS responded within one minute. I was there
Thank you , I suport the LAPD. I am the wife of a police officer who works the USC/Jungles area . and I hope to God he always coms home safely. Please get together and unite with lapd & usc, its a great school and hope to one day send my kids their..
Dolicini and Joncich were not at the 1162 W. 29th St party. They were at another event down the street. This incident affected multiple gatherings that night and demonstrates how breeches of safety affects the larger community.
This is very alarming. I lived in Sunset Apartments during my senior year at ‘SC and I would like to have a response and action plan from the university on how to SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the crime. The fact that this happened at 12:30AM is outrageous. I understand that the university can only do so much, but I thought there were security officers nearby on the corners? Where is the support from LAPD?
LAPD was there. (see photo above) I was down the street when all of this took place, and LAPD was the first responder I saw. And they responded within minutes.
lapd does support you. When he folks from usc or south central call, guess who runs their first. Put yourself in the position of these Police Officers. It’s unfortunate what happnds but hello its LA i grw up their fo 30 yrs but decided to get out of the hood…
Shootings aren’t comforting to anyone, regardless of where they take place. The issue isn’t that this happened near USC, it’s that it happened at all.
And cheat on? More like grow up…
This is exactly why i went to my alma mater. cheat on!
The ghettoness that emanates from those who attend PUBLIC schools…zhaaaaa, zhaaaa.
Whoever posted this got me good!!! I didn’t really post this. I think it was a crazy friend of mine that went to UCLA!
I’m a full out loyal TROJAN!!! FIGHT ON!!!
Not very comforting news to a parent of a current Trojan and of a prospective Trojan.