Man Killed In Apparent Case of Mistaken Identity NR09500kr

Los Angeles: A shooting in Northridge claims the life of a man whom it appears may have been an unintended victim.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, at around 11:45 a.m., two groups of male Blacks were engaged in a verbal dispute near the southeast corner of White Oak Avenue and Lassen Street.  When one group realized that the other group was armed with handguns, several of the group ran to the opposite side of the street to take cover on the grounds of a nearby church, and one of them ran inside a liquor store on the southeast corner.

The suspects were then seen leaving the area in a silver Honda Accord EX.

Shortly afterward, three unrelated male Blacks walked into the same liquor store on the southeast corner, which the man from the previous group had run into.  As the second group of men left the liquor store and began walking across White Oak Avenue in the crosswalk, they were confronted by the same suspects from the earlier incident who were again on foot.

The suspects began shooting at the men in the crosswalk.  The men began running away from the suspects, but 21-year-old Patrick Shillings had been shot multiple times and only made it a few hundred feet before falling to the ground and dying from his injuries.

Witnesses said the suspects left the scene a second time in the same silver Honda Accord EX.

Anyone with information about this crime asked to call Devonshire Homicide Detectives H. Fajardo or J. Sandefur at 818-832-0537.  During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247).  Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips.  When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD."  Tipsters may remain anonymous.