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Three children found dead in car parked near Los Angeles elementary school

Posted at 3:43 PM, Sep 09, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-09 15:43:51-04

LOS ANGELES — Three young boys were found dead Wednesday inside a car parked near an elementary school in a historic Los Angeles neighborhood, authorities said.

A fourth person found nearby was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. Investigators believe that person is the suspected killer and said there is “no need for a community alert.”

The tragic discovery was made about 7:15 a.m. in the 300 block of East 32nd Street in the Historic South-Central neighborhood, KTLA reports.

The car wherein the children’s bodies were found was parked across the street from Dolores Huerta Elementary School. The children were not students at that school, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said during a 2 p.m. news conference.

All the victims were boys between the ages of 8 and 12 who had suffered multiple stab wounds, Beck said, calling the slayings “horrific” and an incident that “(scars) not only the community, but the first responders” who arrived at the scene.

Beck said the man in custody in connection with the boys’ deaths is believed to be the victims’ father but they “do not know that for a fact.” He said the boys’ biological mother is deceased and a stepmother is “safe.”