Highland Park's violent summer continued early Sunday morning, as police were called to the corner of Avenue 57 and Monte Vista Street to respond to another reported shooting.
According to police, a 26-year-old motorist was shot at while driving on Monte Vista Street at around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday.
LAPD Northeast Gang Unit Detective Rick Ortiz said that the motorist was driving northbound on Monte Vista when he slowed down near two men who were hanging out on the street.
"The two guys asked him 'where he was from,' and the victim told them that he wasn't involved in any gangs or anything like that," Ortiz said. "One of the guys told him to get moving, but the other guy went around to the other side of the car and fired a few shots."
Nobody was injured in the shooting. According to the Ortiz, the victim reported the incident almost immediately after it happened.
Ortiz said police do not suspect that the victim is affiliated with any gang.
It is unclear why the victim would slow down on Monte Vista Street at such a late hour, though one anonymous witness told Patch that the two men were tagging a building in the area, which prompted the victim to approach them.
Police are currently investigating the shooting, though they do not have any leads at the time, according to Ortiz.
Sunday's shooting only adds to the gang unit's growing caseload, . In one of those shootings, a teenage female was woudned outside the .
Ortiz said none of the shootings appear to be directly related. However, Ortiz said that the increased violence does appear to be connected in that, as more shootings occur, the more likely gang members are to shoot when they feel threatened.
"When things start heating up, the gangsters arm themselves," Ortiz said.
