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Tow Truck Driver Fatally Shot In South Gate As He Tries To Repossess Car

SOUTH GATE (CBSLA.com)  —  A tow truck driver was fatally shot in South Gate early Sunday morning.

Detectives believe the man may have been targeted after he repossessed a car.

The victim was pronounced dead at 4:23 a.m. at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.

Investigators told KCAL9's Art Barron that the unidentified victim was first shot at at a 7-Eleven store about four and one-half miles away from where he was gunned down, at the intersection of Rosecrans and Atlantic Avenue in East Compton.

The victim died at the intersection of Firestone Boulevard and Rayo Avenue. After he was collided into  a silver sedan at that intersection, officials say the tow truck driver got out of his vehicle and was shot, presumably, by people who followed him from the convenience store.

"There are also people who were victims of the crash who had nothing to do with this," said Lt. Dave Gunner with the LA County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

Detectives told KCAL9's Art Barron that they were pouring over surveillance video from the 7-Eleven looking for clues.

"I got a call from one of the detectives early this morning," said I.J. Hundal, the owner of the store, "Later on I found out one of the guys was shot to death."

Investigators believe the murder was a case of a "repossessing gone bad."

South Gate Police told Barron, "we don't have suspects at this time."

The Coroner withheld the name of the deceased until his next of kin could be notified.

Sunday evening, Sheriff's detectives described the victim as a 50-year-old black male.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

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