Abbot Kinney killing gang inspired?

Tibby Rothman's Venice Paper picks up street talk that the murder of a young man Sunday night after the Abbot Kinney Festival was a targeted gang hit. Just talk at this point, she notes, but with a reason to report it.

While the LA Times reported yesterday that it was a result of an argument, a police officer at the crime scene relayed a different story to a source--that it was a targeted killing, gang-related.

In two previous gang-related shootings reported by VenicePaper, one which resulted in a death, one in an injury, LAPD, for a variety of reasons, released incorrect information. So I feel I need to "hyphenate" this and I’ll try and follow up with more information that combines both the LAPD position, and what the street is verifying, later on in the week.

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I want to be really clear here, that I haven’t done extensive reporting and double checking on this story, but since the source was credible and backed up, in part, by word on the street, and seems to directly contradict what the Times said, and I've been inundated with calls and e-mails seeking information I’m passing it along.

Somewhere in here, away from the explosiveness of a shooting on trendy Abbot Kinney, a family is grieving. It's just heartbreaking.

The female vendor who was struck by a stray bullet was released from the hospital, Rothman reports.