Los Angeles authorities are probing possible hate crimes after a gunman went on a shooting spree Tuesday morning leaving two people dead.
The suspect, only identified as a man in his 40s or 50s, began his drive-by shooting rampage at around 12:55 a.m. near the University of South California, firing at a vehicle and wounding the driver in the head.
Minutes later, the suspect entered in a “verbal exchange” with a newlywed couple at a Starbucks drive-thru, killing the husband.
Around 3 miles away, he pulled up next to a 42-year-old Uber driver’s car and fatally shot him. The spree ended with a standoff with police that left the suspect dead.
“This appears to be random acts of violence,” police said. “We have no idea what precipitated this.”
Investigators said that two victims were Asian men and a third was Latino, prompting them to suspect racial motives.
"We are very mindful of the potentiality for that, and leaning into that very actively. We'll be going back to the suspect's home, talking to family members, trying to figure out what led to these acts of violence."
