Man Fatally Shot Outside The Comedy Store In West Hollywood; Suspect At Large
WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Homicide detectives searched for a gunman Wednesday who shot and killed an adult man outside of The Comedy Store in West Hollywood.
Just before 1 a.m., deputies were sent to the 8400 block of Sunset Boulevard for report of a shooting, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Upon their arrival, authorities located a black male believed to be in his 20s suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his upper torso.
Paramedics transported the victim to a hospital where he later died. The victim's identity is being withheld pending family notification.
Just after 10:30 a.m., authorities reopened a stretch of Sunset Boulevard that was closed for the investigation.
A preliminary investigation revealed the suspect approached and opened fire on the victim who stood with a group of people in the patio area.
The suspect -- who has been described as an adult black male who was last seen wearing a hoodie -- fled southbound on North Olive Drive prior to deputies arrival to the scene.
Witnesses reported hearing five to seven shots.
No other injuries were reported.
The investigation is ongoing as the motive for the shooting remains unclear.
CBS2's Jeff Nguyen reported from the club Wednesday evening.
"We were in the hallway. We heard the shots and we saw a group of people running – pretty terrified," said comedian Rusty Dooley.
He ran out to the patio area and found people scrambling to grab napkins and towels to stop the man from bleeding to death.
Dooley, who has performed at the club for 16 years, says it will never be the same.
"Every time we come here now, for the rest of our lives, every time I step here to look, I know someone was gunned down right here," Dooley said.
Comedian Ron White was scheduled to perform last night but canceled. He told Nguyen he is eager to return to the stage here.
"We can't let this stop us because this one twit came and started shooting his gun," said White.
The Comedy Store issued a statement around 1 p.m. Wednesday. "The Comedy Store will be closed tonight because of a tragic homicide last night outside of our venue. We are cooperating with law enforcement to assist their investigation in every way possible. We intend to reopen very soon and will let everyone know our schedule in a timely manner. We are shocked and saddened that something like this happened outside our venue and are doing everything possible to assist our employees, patrons and law enforcement to ensure we remain the safe and entertaining venue we have been for over 4 decades."
Anyone with information regarding this case has been urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500.
