Rash of Shootings Mars Opening of 'Boyz' Film
July 14, 1991|SCOTT HARRIS and JIM HERRON ZAMORA | TIMES STAFF WRITERS
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A lethal rash of violence that marred the opening of "Boyz N the Hood," a movie depicting the struggles of growing up in South-Central Los Angeles, prompted several theaters Saturday to cancel the feature and many others to increase security amid fears of a repeat of Friday night's bloodshed.
Eleven people were wounded, one critically, as gunfire erupted in and around three Southern California theaters. Elsewhere, a Chicago man was killed, a Sacramento woman was severely wounded and many other people suffered injuries in at least 25 violent incidents as the film opened in more than 800 theaters nationwide.
The mayhem--largely blamed on street hoodlums by law enforcement authorities--triggered panic among theatergoers and a hectic search for suspects by police.