Two gang shootings in Newhall under investigation

Officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said Tuesday that two shootings in Newhall are believed to be linked to gang activity, although it is not clear whether the two incidents are directly related.

Just over a half-hour after one person was killed in a shooting near the intersection of Newhall Avenue and Lyons Avenue on Monday night, a second shooting was reported just blocks away on Walnut Street in Newhall, according to station officials.

In the first shooting, a man was shot in the chest near the 22900 block of Lyons Avenue around 7:35 p.m. Monday.

Lt. Mike Modica of the LASD homicide unit said by phone Tuesday that there was one victim in the first shooting and detectives believe it was a lone shooter.

“It does seem to have something to do with gang crime,” Modica said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, he added, no arrests had been made, but detectives had what he called “actionable information” and the shooting was part of an ongoing investigation.

Photos from the scene show officers have cordoned off the area around Valencia Liquor at 22925 Lyons Ave.

Firefighter paramedics were called to the scene at 7:38 p.m. and asked to stand by when they arrived three minutes later, said Geovanni Sanchez of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Sheriff’s officials confirmed that the victim, whose identity has not been released pending notification of his next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second shooting, in which no one was struck by gunfire, occurred under similar circumstances to a non-injury shooting that occurred at the same intersection on June 11, Deputy Robert Jensen, SCV Sheriff’s Station spokesman, said in a phone conversation Tuesday.

In both incidents, people reported hearing gunshots and seeing juveniles fleeing the scene. Officers recovered shell casings after both incidents.

“It is unclear if they are connected,” Jensen wrote in an email Tuesday morning, referring to the first shooting on Monday evening. The second incident is being handled by the station’s Juvenile and Gangs Team (JAG).

Jensen said the information available was preliminary and pending the outcome of both investigations.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered seven empty 40mm shell casings near the scene,” Jensen wrote in an email Tuesday about the Walnut Street incident. “A broken window at the scene showed evidence of bullet impacts, but no injuries were reported. No information is currently available on the suspects involved. Santa Clarita Station JAG Detectives have been notified of the incident and an investigation is ongoing.”

The station’s gang detectives are complaining of ongoing conflicts between local gangs in response to a double murder in March 2023.

Station officials did not respond Tuesday to questions about whether there is a connection between this latest shooting and the JAG team.

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it becomes available.