Los Angeles police believe a series of shootings across the San Fernando Valley early Sunday that left three dead and two wounded are related after witnesses reported seeing a gunman in a tan SUV with tinted windows.

The three shootings unfolded within a hour and within a few miles of each other, and the victims are not apparently related, according to law enforcement sources. The source, who spoke to the Los Angeles Times on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case, said a shotgun appears to have been used in all of the shootings.

The first shooting victims were en route to church when they were gunned down. The next victim was a Latino man in his 20s collecting recyclables near Sylmar Recreation Center. The third person fatally shot was also on her way to church.

The deadly events began around 5:50 a.m. when San Fernando Police Department officers responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of Celis Street. They found three people with gunshot wounds. A 20-year-old woman died at the scene.


About 6:35 a.m., firefighters at Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 91 heard gunfire. When officers arrived at the 13000 block of Borden Avenue, they found a Latino man in his 20s with a gunshot wound. The man died at the scene.

Just 10 minutes later, a woman was gunned down in the 1200 block of Filmore Street. She had been shot in the head and died of her injuries.

Twitter: @LAcrimes