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Man, 24, Gets 54 Years To Life For Killing Man Outside Karaoke Bar

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A 24-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 54 years to life in prison for the shooting death of a man who tried to intervene in a fight outside a Koreatown karaoke bar.

Louis Woo Lee was convicted Sept. 24 of second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a firearm for the June 7, 2009, shooting that killed Michael Kim, 36, outside M2 Cafe & Karaoke Bar.

Jurors also found true allegations that the La Habra Heights man had used and discharged a handgun during the crime.

Kim, who hailed from Orange County, was shot once in the head after trying to intervene in the fight outside the bar, according to Deputy District Attorney Kennes Ma.

Authorities believe the shot was aimed at another person who suffered a graze wound, according to Ma.

Lee had gone to the bar to back up his friends, who had been involved about two hours earlier in a verbal dispute that escalated to a physical fight, the prosecutor said.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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