Nine wounded, one dead in two South Central LA shootings

LOS ANGELES - Two separate shootings in South Central Los Angeles on Sunday left one alleged assailant dead and nine people injured, including a woman who was shot in the head.

A 53-year-old man believed to be her estranged husband barricaded himself inside a backyard shed and exchanged gunfire with officers throughout the afternoon and evening, police Sgt. John Pasquariello said.

The standoff ended about 10:15 p.m. when police inside an armored vehicle rammed the shed and found the man dead of gunshot wounds. It was not clear whether the wounds were from officers' fire or were self-inflicted, Pasquariello said.

Paramedics found the man's first alleged victim, his 45-year-old wife, outside her home shortly after the shooting was reported at 2:45 p.m. She was taken to county USC Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition, hospital officials said.

The woman apparently had a restraining order against her husband, who returned Sunday from a visit to Mexico, Pasquariello said.

The suspect then allegedly shot a man and woman outside the home and a woman inside a store, he said.

''We don't know if there was any connection at all between him and the other victims,'' he said.

The injuries to the three were not expected to be life-threatening, he said.

The man fled on foot to the back yard of a neighborhood home, where he shut himself inside the wooden shed. Armed with a handgun, he exchanged gunfire with officers at least five times throughout the afternoon and evening, police said.

Police also peppered the shed with tear gas. Evacuated residents were expected to be allowed back to their homes shortly after the incident ended, police said.

In the earlier shooting, five people were wounded.

The victims, between the ages of 18 and 22, were outside when the man opened fire from a distance at 12:45 a.m., police said. Their injuries ranged from minor to critical.

Police believe one man shot the victims, who may have been standing near an alley, Officer Charlotte Broughton said. They did not know whether it was gang-related.

Police had made no arrests by Sunday night.