LOS ANGELES – A Venice High School student was shot on campus June 5.
Augustine Contreras, 17, was killed after a fight between black and Latino students spread to the school’s faculty parking lot. According to a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokesperson, the fight involved several students who fled after the shots were fired.
Immediately after the shooting, which occurred around 3 p.m., LAPD officers arrived and searched the surrounding Oakwood neighborhood. Although two people were briefly apprehended, it turned out neither were involved. The actual suspect remains at large.
Venice has a long history of gang tensions, which occasionally bubble to the surface. Some in the community are worried that this shooting may prompt retaliations.
To address these concerns, a local meeting will be hosted by Councilman Bill Rosendahl June 6 at 8 p.m.