LAPD: 4 men at restaurant were ‘targeted’

Los Angeles Times

VALLEY VILLAGE, California

The four people killed at a San Fernando Valley, Calif., restaurant Saturday afternoon were “targeted,” Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

All of the victims were men, said Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, commanding officer of operations at the Valley bureau.

He said three of the men were pronounced dead at the restaurant; another later died at a local hospital.

Two others also were wounded and are expected to survive.

The Hot Spot Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive, was packed with customers when a man walked in and opened fire around 7:40 p.m. EDT, according to police officials.

Law-enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said they believed the shooting might have involved Armenian gangs.

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