LOS ANGELES – A 5-year-old boy was proudly showing off his Spider-man Halloween costume to family members in his backyard when a pair of suspected gang members opened fire from a nearby alley, hitting the boy in the back of the head and leaving him critically wounded, police and family members said Monday.
The boy's grandfather and uncle were grazed by bullets in the Sunday afternoon shooting, authorities said. The two suspected gang members fled and have since eluded capture.
The grandfather, William Shannon, told the Los Angeles Times he was taking care of his grandson as he flexed his fake muscles in the South Los Angeles yard when the two men appeared in the alley. Shannon said he nodded to acknowledge the men, but then heard a pop as they opened fire and fled.
"My grandson was in a pool of blood in his Spider-man costume," Shannon told the Times.
Shannon said doctors at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center were doing tests to see if the boy, Aaron Shannon Jr., was brain-dead.
He said he had never seen the two men before.
Police have announced no arrests or motives for the shooting, and said the family has no gang ties.
"This is absolutely horrific," Deputy Chief Pat Gannon told the Times. "It is one of the most exciting days of the year for young children, and then they opened fire on this innocent family. … There is no reason for this shooting. It makes no sense."