The victim of a deadly parking lot shooting has been identified as a Hawthorne mother, officials confirmed to KTLA on Saturday morning.
Amber Laflora was 37 years old when she was fatally shot early morning on Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Although officials did not immediately reveal details about Laflora’s family, comments from friends on her social media indicate she may have been a mother of six. KTLA is still working to independently confirm this information.
The mother was killed after a purported altercation with another woman outside a bar — the VIP Sports Bar — where Laflora’s social media posts suggest she was planning on hosting her upcoming birthday party in August. Other social media stories showed Laflora singing karaoke in the bar before the violence broke out.
Preliminary reports say an argument started inside the bar, then Laflora went to the parking lot and was sitting in a car when another altercation broke out between her and the suspect — resulting in gunfire.
Unconfirmed reports from stringer service TNLA say that, according to one witness, Laflora was seen being “forcibly dragged” from a vehicle and shot at least three times in the abdomen. Officials did not confirm or comment on this information.
It happened around 1:50 a.m., according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, in the 11000 block of South Inglewood Avenue.
Deputies and Hawthorne police responded to reports of a shooting death outside the sports bar located in a shopping center to find Laflora suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot, where she was soon pronounced dead by paramedics.
No suspects have been arrested or publicly named as of Saturday morning. An LASD spokesperson said the suspect, an adult woman, fled the scene in a silver luxury vehicle.
“We’re asking for the public’s help because we knew there were at least 40-50 people in this parking lot,” said Lt. Steve De Jong.
Footage from TNLA showed a large law enforcement presence in the parking lot area of the shopping center as bar-goers and other members of the public are seen leaving the area; however, some remain gathered around the scene, possibly waiting to speak with investigators. A perimeter of caution tape was also seen around the parking lot.
LASD asks anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
To provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477) or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
Omar Lewis and Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.
The post Sports bar shooting victim identified as Hawthorne mother, suspect at large appeared first on KTLA.
