Ricardo Mendoza, 27

Ricardo Mendoza, a 27-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Monday, March 1, in the 1700 block of East 92nd Street in Florence-Firestone, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Mendoza had been involved in a car-to-car shooting shortly before midnight Sunday, according to Los Angeles Police Department officials. The incident, which police said began "for no apparent reason,” took place as Mendoza and Robert Gipson, 23, drove in separate cars along East 92nd Street near Holmes Avenue.

LAPD Det. Christopher Barling said Mendoza and Gipson were from rival gangs and fired more than a dozen bullets before Mendoza’s 1998 green Honda Civic came to a stop, likely because of his gunshot wounds.

At about the same time, Gipson made a U-turn and crashed his 2000 white Ford Mustang into a telephone pole in front of 1774 East 92nd Street. Gipson’s passenger left the car and ran north on Holmes Avenue, police said.

Mendoza, who had been shot several times, was pronounced dead at the scene about 15 minutes after the first shot had been fired, authorities said. Gipson was taken to a hospital, where as of March 1 he remained in critical condition with at least one gunshot wound.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the LAPD at (213) 485-1383.

-- Amina Khan