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Four suspects were at large after a man was fatally shot in the head on the street in Venice Monday afternoon, police said.

As many as 11 people called authorities reporting shots fired in the area of Fifth Avenue and Broadway Street at about 3:30 p.m., Los Angeles Police Lt. John Radtke said.

The victim, later identified as 29-year-old Lavell Harris of Los Angeles, was walking along Fifth Avenue when two people approached him on foot and chased him north, the lieutenant said said.

The assailants fired numerous shots, and Harris suffered several wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Radtke said.

One of the bullets struck Harris in the head, LAPD Officer Jeff Lee told KTLA.

The two suspects got into a car with two other men inside and fled north on Fifth Avenue, according to Radtke.

Investigators describe the car as a dark-colored, four-door sedan. Officials had earlier described the suspect vehicle as a 1996 or 1997 silver Acura, but Radtke said there were conflicting descriptions of the car.

The suspects being sought are described only as four black men wearing hoodies.

Lee described the weapon that was used as a black handgun.

Harris is from the neighborhood, and his mom and dad responded to the scene, Radtke said.

The victim was unarmed, the lieutenant added.

The motive remains under investigation, and detectives are looking into whether it could have been gang-related.

Radtke said he wasn’t sure if Harris was a gang member, but the victim was known in the neighborhood and “probably doesn’t have any problems with the local gang members.”

This is only the second homicide in the area this year, following an earlier case that involved family violence, according to Radtke.

“Homicides in this area are not very common,” he said. “This is the first shooting homicide of this year.”

The lieutenant said there was no other violence in the neighborhood officials know of that would be related to Harris’ killing.

Anyone with information on the case can contact LAPD homicide detectives at 213-382-9470.

KTLA’s Matt Phillips contributed to this story.

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