Marcos Salas, 36

Died Feb. 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m.

Marcos Salas, 36, a Latino man, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting near Aragon and Roseview avenues in Cypress Park about noon Thursday, Feb. 21.

Salas was holding the hand of his 2-year-old granddaughter when he was shot multiple times by people in a passing car, police said. The girl was not hit and did not suffer any major injuries, authorities said.

Police said officers from the Northeast Division pulled over a white Nissan sedan near the intersection of Drew Street and Estara Avenue. Three men got out and began shooting; one of those men was Daniel Leon, 22, who was armed with an AK-47 rifle.

The officers fired back, killing Leon and injuring another man; he was taken to a hospital and was being held for allegedly killing Salas.

A third suspect fled on foot, but was later found underneath a vehicle. He was arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said.  The fourth man fled in the white Nissan and is still at large. The men were members of the Avenues gang, police said.

— Richard Winton, Susannah Rosenblatt and Andrew Blankstein

Photo: At a street shrine Sunday, Maurico Solano lights a candle for his friend, Marcos Salas, shot to death across from Aragon Avenue Elementary School. Credit: Karen Tapia/Los Angeles Times