Thugs Kill 7 Year Old In Drive By

LAPD hunts crew of drive-by thugs who killed 7-year-old boy while he waited in car with mother

Talib Pecante died in a hail of 25 bullets that four thugs fired at a car he was sitting in with his mother on Monday night. Hundreds turned out at a candlelight vigil to urge police to hunt down his killers.



Cops in central Los Angeles are hunting for a crew of thugs who gunned down a 7-year-old boy as he waited in a car with his mother on Monday night.

Talib Pecante clung to life for more than 12 hours at Children's Hospital Los Angles after he was shot in the back by four men who sprayed his vehicle with more than two dozen rounds during a horrific drive-by in Mid City at around 9 p.m., KTLA-TV reported.

The beloved little football player died from his injuries at around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, authorities.

The boy's mother and her boyfriend were also wounded by gunfire, cops said, though their injuries were not life-threatening.



LAPD was investigating the shooting, though leads were scant.

The gunmen were described as four men in black hooded jackets riding in a white car.

"I can't understand how this happened," Talib's father, who didn't give his name, told local KABC-TV. "The violence has to stop."

On Wednesday night, hundreds of mourners turned out at a candlelight vigil in downtown Los Angeles to pray for the boy's family and urge police to hunt down his killers.



Little boys from Talib's youth football team in Compton wore their jerseys in a show of solemn solidarity.

"I can't understand. Why him?" one little gridder told KTLA-TV.

Gwendolyn Cameron, recently retired city schoolteacher, told the station that shootings involving children had become far too commonplace.

"How could you do that to a child?" Cameron said.

Police said the shooting occurred on the 1900 block of Corning Street. Anyone with any information was urged to call Detectives Rolando Rodriguez or Scott Masterson at (213) 382-9470 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.