A 41-year-old man was fatally shot while trying to protect his car during an attempted theft in South Los Angeles, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said.
Deputies responded to reports of a gunshot victim Saturday at about 9:20 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Hooper Avenue in unincorporated L.A. County. They found two wounded men in a nearby alley. One of them had been struck by gunfire in the upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene by the L.A. Country Fire Department. The other man was taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds to his leg.
Investigators learned that the men heard their car alarm go off in the alley where it was parked and spotted three people trying to steal the vehicle.
When the men confronted the thieves, a fourth individual, who was standing near the alley’s entrance, opened fire on them. One of the men returned fired in apparent self-defense, the Sheriff’s Department said in a release.
The thieves fled westbound on East 81st Street in a newer-model red or burgundy four-door coupe, officials said.
No suspects had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon.
Anyone who has information that could help in the investigation is asked to contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477, download the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google Play or the Apple store or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
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