Man Killed, 2 Injured in Shooting

One man was killed and two men were wounded early Sunday after a dispute in a North Hollywood bar erupted into gunfire, police said.

The dead man was identified as Ramiro Espinoza, 21, and one wounded man as Jose Alvarez, 25, both of North Hollywood. The shooting suspect, 25-year-old Jose Martinez of Los Angeles was shot in the groin during a struggle with security guards at the bar, police said.

Espinoza died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, said Sgt. Christopher Vasquez of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Alvarez, who was wounded in the back in the 1:45 a.m. shooting, was taken by friends to an unidentified hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition, Vasquez said.

Martinez was injured when the semiautomatic handgun he allegedly used fired during a struggle with security guards inside the Puerto Vallarta bar at 1909 Burbank Blvd. Martinez was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center and is expected to be charged with murder, Vasquez said.

The cause of the dispute was unavailable Sunday afternoon. Vasquez said the bar’s guards and two patrons chased Martinez as he tried to run away, then held him until police arrived.