Inglewood police were searching for the suspect, Desmond John Moses, but had not ruled out the possibility they would find his remains in the ruins of his rental house, which police believe he torched.
The hunt for a suspected gunman is on after a father and son were fatally shot at an Inglewood home early Saturday.
Police identified the suspect as 55-year-old Desmond John Moses. At a news conference Saturday evening, authorities urged Moses to turn himself in.
Inglewood police confirmed to Eyewitness News Saturday night that an unidentified body was found in the rubble of a fire that burned in the back house on the property where shooting took place.
Police say the 30-year-old father used his body to shield his children from gunfire. He and his 4-year-old son died from their injuries – the father suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and the boy suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. A 7-year-old girl was shot in the chest and a 6-year-old boy was shot in the pelvis; they were transported to UCLA Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
The children’s 28-year-old mother was shot in both legs while carrying the 4-year-old away from the gunfire. The mother was transported to the hospital, where she was reported to be in critical but stable condition. Another child, an 8-year-old boy who was in the house at the time of the shooting, was not hurt.
Investigators continued to scour the area Saturday afternoon to find Moses.
“We put out a crime broadcast to agencies around the county and we’re starting to work with our partners at the federal level to get the word out so that we can start expanding the size of the manhunt,” said Inglewood police Lt. James Madia.
The shooting was reported at about 4 a.m. at a home in the 4900 block of 99th Street. The house was engulfed in flames an hour later, with a thick pillar of black smoke spilling out of the roof. That house has since burned to the ground.
The motive and circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unknown. However, investigators say the suspect likely started the fire prior to the shooting.
Authorities say the suspect may be a resident of a back house, which is the one that caught on fire. The family lives in the front house on the same property. There were unconfirmed reports that the suspect may have been evicted from his home.
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