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Officials Investigate Murder Of Teen Boy, 3rd Shooting In Duarte In 3 Days

DUARTE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities Tuesday were investigating the third shooting in Duarte in just three days.

Residents in an apartment building in the 2500 block of Huntington Drive heard gunshots around 11:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"It sounded like five bangs really loud," neighbor Victoria Sandoval said.

Christopher Rossi, 16, was found shot in the rear of the complex, where he lived with his parents. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

"It makes me feel like I'm going to keep my guard up, stay inside more and not walk around outside," Sandoval said.

It remains unclear if Rossi was a gang member, according to investigators.

A vigil was held Monday night for Malcom Mency, an 18-year-old who was shot on Sunday just five miles from Rossi's apartment. The father of a 1-month-old was walking home from work when he was gunned down.

Later that afternoon, another man was shot and wounded in his front yard nearby.

A mediation team met with residents Monday night to discuss the shootings, and both the Sheriff's department and Duarte police agreed to beef up patrols in the area.

The city manager said the last time the city had a gang-related murder was in 2009 and since then crime numbers have decreased, but the recent rash of violence has concerned him and he will continue to hold community meetings in hopes of making the city safer.

No arrests have been made in any of the cases.

Anyone with information was asked to contact homicide detectives at (323)890-5500.

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Patrols Increased In Duarte After 2 Shootings, Including 1 That Killed Young Father

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(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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