Two unrelated shootings reported in Baldwin Park, 18-year-old woman wounded

BALDWIN PARK -- An 18-year-old was shot in the stomach Sunday in one of two unrelated shootings in the same area and time frame, authorities said.
The shootings were reported just before 3 p.m. in the 14500 block of East Chevalier Avenue, and minutes later less than a mile away at Maine and Merced avenues, Baldwin Park police Sgt. Darryl Kosaka said.
Despite the close proximity of the shootings, "There is no indication they are related," Kosaka said.
A Chevalier Avenue resident who asked his name not be published for fear of retaliation said he heard and saw part of the attack.
"I thought it was fireworks, but then I heard the shells dropping," he said.
Both the resident and police said the shooter was a teenager or young man who opened fire several times on an occupied van as he passed by on a bicycle.
The woman was inside the van, which was stopped along the side of the road, along with an unknown number of others, Kosaka said. No one else in the van was injured.
The shooter ditched his bicycle and fled on foot through neighboring yards, police and witnesses said.
Another young man came by just after the attack and picked up the bicycle, the witness said.
The van sped away following the shooting, and the wounded woman showed up at a local hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, authorities and neighbors said.
A nearby resident found a discarded handgun and turned it over to police, Kosaka said.
A short time after the shooting, neighbors said a young man wearing a blue baseball cap was seen searching the area where the gun was found, possibly looking for the weapon.
Kosaka said police searched for the man but he was not found.
A further description of the gunman was not available.
The shooting may have been gang related, Kosaka said.
The shooting took place only a block away from the Baldwin Park police station, which is visible from the shooting scene.
Another neighborhood resident, who also asked his name be withheld, said the shooting in the normally quiet neighborhood left him concerned.
"You got to be alert," he said. "You never know when they're going to want to come back and retaliate because someone said something."
Minutes after the Chevalier Avenue shooting, shots were reported near Merced and Maine avenues, Kosaka said.
While no one reported witnessing the shooting, a nearby home was struck by a bullet, he said.
A car with bullet holes was found driving in the area, but the driver did not cooperate with police and claimed he had no idea that his car had been shot.
Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to call Baldwin Park police.