Boy in Serious Condition After Being Shot in Gang Cross-Fire

A 3-year-old boy wounded during a midday gang shootout was in serious condition Saturday and his prognosis remained poor, a Childrens Hospital spokeswoman said.

Rogelio Morales had a bullet in his head and was breathing with the help of a machine, nursing supervisor Denise Henry said. His vital signs were stable.

“The next 48 hours are still critical,” Henry said. “With a head injury, anything can happen.”

Rogelio and his mother, Anna, were standing at a telephone booth outside a post office at 7th Street and Burlington Avenue, near MacArthur Park, at 1 p.m. Friday, when several rival gang members came running by, firing at one another, police said.

The mother was not injured, but a stray bullet hit the boy in the head, police said. A witness picked up the child and took him across the street to a fire station. Paramedics treated the toddler before taking him to Childrens Hospital, where he initially was listed in critical condition.

Police arrested two boys and seven men, ages 14 to 22, in connection with the shooting. The suspects, all described by police as rival gang members, were being held without bail on suspicion of attempted murder.