Hollywood Walk of Fame Shooting During Vicente Fernandez Memorial
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a shooting from an apartment near an area where people had gathered to remember the late Mexican singer Vicente Fernández on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sunday night.
CBSLA reported that the windows of a building at 6200 Hollywood Boulevard were blown out by the shooting, which took place just after 7 p.m.
Witnesses said they heard four or five shots fired in the 6100 block of Hollywood Boulevard, east of Vine Street.
Police said a male suspect, allegedly a resident of the building, was taken into custody at about 7:45 p.m. The suspect was identified to Newsweek by the LAPD as 35-year-old Joseph Michael Dietrich. He has been charged with shooting into an inhabited dwelling, with his bail set at $500,000.
No Injuries Reported
Witnesses told CBSLA that they saw a person's arm holding a handgun from an upper story window in the apartment block opposite the memorial, with one of the bullets hitting a shop's glass door. There were no injuries reported.
The LAPD shut down Hollywood Boulevard to investigate the scene. A team of officers entered the apartment building and based on information provided by witnesses, narrowed the search area, Dineen said.
Crowds were there to commemorate the 81-year-old Mexican Ranchera singer, who died on Sunday morning in Guadalajara in his home state of Jalisco. He had been hospitalized for four months after a fall at his ranch. The singer suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder in which a person's own immune system damages nerves.
A post on the singer's Instagram page confirmed the news.
"Rest in peace, Mr. Vicente Fernández. We regret to inform you of his death on Sunday, December 12 at 6:15 a.m.," the post said. "It was an honor and a great pride to share with everyone a great musical career and to give everything for his audience. Thank you for continuing to applaud, thank you for continuing to sing."
Funeral plans for the singer haven't yet been announced.
Only three weeks ago, a 23-year-old man was shot dead in Hollywood in an incident police believe was related to an attempted robbery. Witnesses told police that the suspects drove away from the scene in a gray sedan. It is unclear if the robbers were struck by gunfire.
Update 4:32 a.m. 12/14/21: This article has been updated with details of the suspect provided by the LAPD.
