(L.A.) Curtis Smith, 35, Died in a Drive-By Shooting

Case Number: 2025-03984

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 35-year-old Black male that occurred on a sidewalk in DTLA.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Curtis Smith.

Manner of Death: Homicide

Cause of Death: Gunshot Wounds

RIP CURTIS SMITH (February 19, 1990 – March 2, 2025)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 8:02 p.m.

The decedent was apparently killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Los Angeles.

LAPD said the shooting happened at 7:52 p.m. in the 700 block of Stanford Avenue, between San Pedro Street and Central Avenue.

Video Description from YouTube

LAPD’s Newton Division responded to an “assault with a deadly weapon” call Sunday evening in the 700 block of South Stanford Avenue.

Arriving officers found a male fatally shot at the location. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said that a suspect armed with a gun pulled up in a vehicle and fired at the victim.

The male victim suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased on the sidewalk by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

Multiple evidence markers were visible around a Volkswagen SUV as detectives investigated the scene. The body was covered by a police privacy canopy on the sidewalk next to the vehicle.

It is unknown at this time if the shooting is gang-related.

LAPD’s Central Bureau Homicide is handling the investigation.