New Year's holiday shootings leave two dead

Two men died and eight people were injured in two separate shootings over the New Year's holiday in Los Angeles County, sheriff's deputies said.

One shooting happened at around 11:20 p.m. on Monday following an argument on the 20700 block of Alburtis Avenue in Lakewood, the sheriff's department said. A man walked up to a group of family and friends gathering on the driveway of the home.

"Words were exchanged and an argument ensued when gunfire suddenly erupted," according to a department statement.  

A 36-year-old man was shot in his upper torso and pronounced dead at the hospital. Five other people suffered non-life threatening injuries. The suspect is a Hispanic man who fled the scene on foot, said the statement.

The second victim died in Hawthorne when shooting broke out at a New Year’s party on the 13600 block on Cerise Avenue at around 1:16 a.m. on Tuesday. The victim was an adult male , said Sgt. Rich Peña of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Three other people at the Hawthorne party suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds, Peña said, adding that there were about 40 people at the event. 

When police arrived, they stopped a vehicle leaving the scene with a shooting victim inside, Peña said. That victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital.