Two arrested in Wilmington shooting that killed 12-Year-Old boy

Two men were in custody Friday in connection with a shooting in Wilmington in December that left a 12-year-old boy dead and two other people injured.

Damian Martinez, 21, and Gabriel Martinez, 19, who are cousins, were arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The shooting occurred Dec. 6 at Denni Street and Blinn Avenue near Wilmington Park Elementary School, according to the LAPD.

According to police, the suspects approached an SUV and opened fire, striking the 30-year-old driver, passenger Alexander Alvarado, 12, and a 9-year- old girl who was on the playground at the nearby school.

After the shooting, the woman in the SUV managed to drive a short distance away, stopping at North Eubank Avenue near East Anaheim Street, where she and the boy were found by authorities, police said.

Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman and girl both survived.

Alexander’s mother, Jenny Romero, said the wounded woman — her wife — and Alexander had just picked up Romero’s 10-year-old son from school. The younger boy was in the SUV when the shooting occurred, but was not injured. Romero said two people “popped out of nowhere” and one of them opened fire at the SUV.

“My wife (saw) his face, and she said he actually looked like my son, looked like a kid. So a kid shooting a kid,” Romero told NBC4.

A motive for the shooting was not known, according to the LAPD.

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