Palmdale, Los Angeles, CA: A male found fatally shot at a Palmdale intersection on Wednesday has been identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck a mother pushing her baby in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2021.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to Key News Network that Kristopher Baca, 17, fatally shot in Palmdale, was the same person who was involved in the Venice traffic collision incident. The mother and baby survived the collision.

Sheriff’s deputies received a 911 call just after 8:30 p.m., Jan. 18, regarding a gunshot victim at the intersection of Avenue Q-3 and 11th Street East. A male victim was found by deputies upon arrival.

Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics from Station 131 responded to treat the victim who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The suspect(s) reportedly fled the location in a red Honda Civic and remain at large as of this report.

The circumstance surrounding the Palmdale shooting is still under investigation.

Regarding the Venice traffic collision, a video captured by security cameras at the location shared throughout social media and on news outlets in 2021, showed the horror of a mother and baby knocked to the ground by the driver who appeared to be aiming for them. The vehicle was stopped by a good Samaritan in a truck who blocked the driver in process of fleeing the scene.

According to various news sources, the sentence for the convicted teen was light – just months. Fox News reported the teen was due to spend approximately five months in a diversion program.

According to multiple sources, diversion programs are a beneficial alternative to initial or continued formal processing of youth in the juvenile delinquency system where he or she has an opportunity to live a responsible life without a criminal record.

Video and still photo included in this story is from the Jan. 18 Palmdale shooting reported by Key News Network.

Eyad Alawi, Video Journalist / KNN

© 2023 Key News Network