Rosemead: Knight's Inn, 4/11/09, 2:20 am

From the SGV Tribune

Man, teen killed in shooting at party

By Brian Day, Staff Writer

Posted: 04/11/2009 09:37:16 PM PDT

Blog

Get behind the yellow tape in the Crime Scene blog

ROSEMEAD - A man and a teenage boy were killed and three others wounded early Saturday when two gunmen opened fire at a party in a hotel, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 2:20 a.m. at the Knights Inn, 3633 Rosemead Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire officials said.

Gustavo De La Torre, 27, of Temple City and Angel Guerrero, 15, of Palmdale died at the scene of the shooting, said Jerry McKibben, investigator with the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

"The shooting occurred during the course of a large party," Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Rich Pena said.

"The two suspects entered the party and began shooting," he said, then fled on foot in an unknown direction. A

The Knights Inn in Rosemead is shown just hours after a deadly shooting early Satuday. A man and a teenage boy were killed and three other wounded when two gunmen opened fire at a party. (SGVN/Staff photo by Brian Day)

motive was not known Saturday.

Sheriff's officials described the wounded only as Latino men.

A description of the shooters was not released.

Family members of the dead man and teen, as well as the detectives handling the investigation, could not be reached for comment Saturday afternoon.

The shooting occurred in a second-floor room in the rear of the hotel. Neighboring rooms appeared to be vacant Saturday.

The only evidence of the shooting that remained was a strip of yellow crime scene tape strewn across the door of room No. 234.

The hotel manager could not be reached for comment.

An employee working the front desk at the hotel said she started her shift Saturday afternoon and had no information about the shooting.

A guest at the hotel - who asked his name not be published in fear of retaliation - said he was staying there with his family when the shooting occurred.

"All we heard was, `pow, pow, pow,"' he said. "Then we heard people running around." In all, he said he heard four or five shots.

Within minutes, the guest added, the area was swarming with sheriff's deputies and a sheriff's helicopter hovering overhead.

Guests were not allowed to leave the hotel premises as officials investigated, he said. "We couldn't even go to work today."

The guest said he did not hear the party prior to the shooting.

He added in the week prior to the shooting, the well-kept hotel seemed quiet and peaceful.

"This is a family place," he said. "It's really nice."

brian.day@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2718