WEST COVINA — A man was shot and wounded under mysterious circumstances late Saturday, possibly as the result of getting into the crossfire of a gunbattle between others, police said.
The incident was reported about 7:30 p.m. at a commercial strip in the 200 block of West Pacific Avenue, just west of Orange Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Alan Henley said.
A car carrying three people arrived in a parking lot, and one of the occupants — a man in his late 20s — exited the vehicle to urinate, Henley said.
As he approached a trash dumpster, he heard shots ring out and was struck in the ankle, the lieutenant said.
The wounded man was taken to an area hospital with wound that was not believed to be life-threatening, he added.
The victim was not believed to be tied to gangs, Henley said.
No one reported witnessing the shooting, police said, however it initially appeared that the wounded man may have been an innocent bystander who got caught in a crossfire.
“It seems as if he got caught in between two other people who might have started to shoot each other,” Henley said. Bullet casings found at the scene indicated two guns may have been involved in the shooting.
No description of the shooters was available, though a dark vehicle was spotted leaving the area at the time of the shooting.