CA - Two killed as masked gunman attacks Inglewood family

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- A father and child were killed when a shooting broke out at an Inglewood home early Saturday morning.

Police say the 30-year-old father used his body to shield his children from gunfire. He and his 4-year-old son died from their injuries - the father suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and the boy suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. A 7-year-old girl was shot in the chest and a 6-year-old boy was shot in the pelvis; they were transported to UCLA Medical Center in critical but stable condition.

The children's 28-year-old mother was shot in both legs while carrying the 4-year-old away from the gunfire. The mother was transported to the hospital, where she was reported to be in critical but stable condition. Another child, an 8-year-old boy who was in the house at the time of the shooting, was not hurt.

The shooting was reported at about 4 a.m. at a home in the 4900 block of 99th Street. The house was engulfed in flames an hour later, with a thick pillar of black smoke spilling out of the roof. That house has since burned to the ground.

The motive and circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unknown. However, investigators say the suspect likely started the fire prior to the shooting.

Authorities say the suspect may be a resident of a back house, which is the one that caught on fire. The family lives in the front house on the same property. There were unconfirmed reports that the suspect may have been evicted from his home.

Police believe the suspected gunman may have barricaded himself inside the burned out home. SWAT officers were on scene with weapons drawn, trying to locate the suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous.

Chief Mark Fronterotta with Inglewood police said the suspect may have escaped, describing him as a black male in his mid 50s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. He said K-9 units have been deployed to help track him down in case he is on the run. The chief said the suspect was wearing a painter's mask and a dark baseball cap at the time of the shooting. There were no details on the type of weapon used.

Fronterotta also said some power lines have come down as a result of the house fire, causing outages for 10 to 12 homes in the 4900 block of 99th Street. Also, five homes surrounding the scene have been evacuated. An area high school was made available for shelter while the evacuation was under way.

Police set up a perimeter extending several blocks around the scene, with surrounding streets closed off for investigation.

Neighbors say they were jolted awake by the sound of gunfire. One resident said he heard six to 10 shots from two different kinds of guns.