COVINA >> A man died following a shooting in a residential neighborhood near Covina early Saturday, authorities said.
The shooting was first reported at 1:13 a.m. in the 17600 block of East Brookport Street, in an unincorporated county area just outside of Covina, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
“Several neighborhood residents reported they heard gunshots, then heard a car screeching away,” Lt. Thomas Reid said.
Responding deputies encountered a man in his 30s, lying wounded in a residential front yard.
Paramedics rushed the victim to an area trauma center, officials said.
The victim succumbed to his injuries Saturday afternoon, Lt. Mike Rosson of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
The victim’s identity was not released pending positive identification and notification of family.
No eyewitnesses to the shooting had been located, Reid said.
Neighbors described hearing six to seven gunshots.
One neighbor, who asked his name be withheld due to safety concerns, said he looked outside following the gunshots and saw a man lying on a front lawn of a home, groaning in pain.
The neighbor added that he also heard the sound of a car speeding down the street immediately following the gunfire.
After realizing what had happened, the man said he gathered his family members in a hallway of their home until he heard deputies’ sirens outside.
No suspect description was available, and the motive remained under investigation. The shooting victim was not believed to live at the home where he was shot, Reid said.
The shooting occurred in front of a home neighbors said has been the center of problems, and that it has drawn a response from deputies in the past.
People often come and go from the home, staying for only a few minutes, they said. One neighbor said arguments and fights were common, and he once saw people fighting in front of the home with baseball bats.
No one answered the door at the home Saturday afternoon.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

COVINA >> A woman narrowly escaped with her life after a bullet grazed her face in a drive-by shooting in an unincorporated county area near Covina late Sunday, police said.
The woman, estimated to be in her 40s, was standing in front of a home in the 5000 block of North Clydebank Avenue when two attackers approached in a gray, older-model car, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Terrence Smith said.
Two attackers drove up, yelled some type of possibly gang-related slogan and began shooting, the sergeant said.
“A gunshot grazed the victim in the face, below the eye,” he said.
Paramedics took the woman to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
It was not clear if the was the intended target of the shooting, or merely a bystander struck by a stray bullet.
Further details, including a detailed suspect description, were not available Monday.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s San Dimas Station at 909-450-2709. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

COVINA >> Authorities have released one of two suspects in the weekend slaying of a 20-year-old Covina man stemming from an alleged robbery and filed charges against the other, officials said Wednesday.
Covina police arrested Christopher Avila, 20, and Adam Hernandez, 21, both of Covina, on suspicion of murder the day after Saturday’s late-morning shooting in a restaurant parking lot that left Isaac Urena dead.
But prosecutors declined to file a case against Avila, sending the case back “for further investigation,” according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani.
Avila was released from jail Tuesday morning, Los Angeles County booking records show.
District attorney’s officials filed a county of acting as an accessory to the killing after the fact, Ardalani said.
A scheduled arraignment hearing for Hernandez on Tuesday was postponed to Monday.
According to booking records, Hernandez was being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Covina Police Department Jail.
The fatal shooting took place shortly before noon after Urena was driven by a friend to the parking lot of Clearman’s North Woods Inn, along San Bernardino Road, just east of Azusa Avenue.
Urena had arranged to sell some jewelry via the online app OfferUp, according to police.

But the transaction turned deadly, and Urena was fatally shot, Peterson said.
His friend drove across the city border to the parking lot of Faith Community Church in West Covina where paramedics pronounced Urena dead, officials said.
Despite Avila’s release without charges, Covina police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said he remains the suspect in the fatal shooting of Urena.
“We’re confident we’ve identified the people responsible,” he said.
No additional suspects were being sought, he added.
Hernandez is accused of driving the car that brought the gunman to the scene, and Avila is suspected of wielding the gun, Peterson said.
Detectives will continue building their case, gathering evidence and conducting witness interviews
“We’ll continue working with detectives, and with the District Attorney, to ensure charged are filed when warranted,” Peterson said.
Detectives recovered a handgun while serving search warrants at the suspects’ homes, Peterson said. The results of forensic tests to determine whether the seized gun is the same one that killed Urena were still pending Wednesday.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Covina police detectives at 626-384-5628. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

PHOTOS by Leo Jarzomb