Passenger in Car Is Shot, Killed Near Galleria

A 20-year-old man was shot and killed late Wednesday as he rode in a car on Hawthorne Boulevard near the South Bay Galleria.

Torrance police are searching for a suspect who they say flashed a gang sign before firing three shots at a nearby car in the 17500 block of Hawthorne Boulevard at about 11:50 p.m.

The victim, Daryl James Webb, who was in the front passenger seat, was a Compton native stationed with the Air Force in the Las Vegas area, a relative said. He was home on leave to visit his family and friends.

Webb and three friends had gone to the South Bay Bowl, a Redondo Beach bowling alley just south of the Galleria, Torrance police said.

When they were leaving, they noticed a man and woman in the parking lot, police said. Webb’s group drove south on Hawthorne Boulevard and then made a U-turn into the northbound lane, said Torrance Sgt. Ron Traber. The couple were in a car near them, Traber said.

Some comments were exchanged. The suspect then flashed a gang sign and fired at the car in which Webb was a passenger, police said.

Webb was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

The suspects’ vehicle was a 1982 or 1983 light-blue, two-door Chevy Monte Carlo, Buick Regal or Oldsmobile Cutlass, police said.

A relative said Webb had no gang affiliations. In fact, she said, he was studying law enforcement in the Air Force and hoped to become a lawyer.

Webb is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and an 11-month-old son.