1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting outside Trader Joe's in Los Angeles

One person was killed and three others were wounded on Saturday after an alleged drug deal gone wrong ignited a shootout in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles. 

Police responded to calls of a shooting that took place in the parking lot of the West Hills Trader Joe’s, located in the 22800 block of Vanowen Street near Fallbrook Avenue, at around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. 

When the police arrived one person, identified as a 45-year-old man, was dead and three others—two 35-year-old women and another 45-year-old man—were found wounded from gunshots. 

The victims were transported to a nearby hospital, police said. One of the women was hospitalized in critical condition. The other two victims were in serious to critical condition, authorities said.  

"Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the dispute centered around a narcotics transaction in the area," LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a press conference. "During that dispute, multiple suspects produced firearms and fired at each other."

"Following the incident here, where the gunfire occurred, one of the suspects fled from this location," Hamilton added. "That suspect became involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision, where they injured someone else and continued fleeing the area."

Two police helicopters saw the suspect fleeing in the vehicle and then switched to a different one. Ground units then ignited a short pursuit to catch up to the suspect. Police arrested the female driver and the male suspect. 

"We believe everyone that was involved in the dispute here is either in custody or the hospital," Hamilton said, adding that two firearms have been recovered and the incident is being investigated as possibly gang-related.