A small boy, someone's baby boy, was killed on Court Street a few hours ago. TV news reports available online are scanty, with disparate details: Some reports say Roberto Lopez was four years old, some say he was five. Some say both. At first, CBS news repeated over and again that there was no sure evidence the shooting was a drive-by. I imagine they didn't want to start rumors that could lead to more shooting. KTLA called it a drive-by. Now, most outlets are reporting that shots were fired at a red car, and one of the bullets hit the small boy, who was walking with his sister. Everyone is calling it Echo Park, and I'm sure it is. Echo Park is a big place, and the boundaries are uncertain even to me, who studies it. I don't know the intersection where the shooting took place. But I'll never forget it.

The shooting happened at about 4:25. At 5:30 I was driving along Echo Park Lake and saw two helicopters hovering over the streets south of the 101 freeway. Now I know they were taking pictures of the place where it happened, even though it was all over by then.