Police say the gunman walked up and fired several rounds before fleeing on foot near the Sony Pictures lot.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A man was found shot to death inside a parked car Monday morning in the Palms neighborhood on Los Angeles’ Westside, prompting a homicide investigation that closed part of Washington Boulevard near the Sony Pictures Studios campus.
Authorities said officers responded just after 8 a.m. to reports of shots fired in the 10200 block of West Washington Boulevard. They found a man in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the head and evidence that multiple rounds had been fired through the passenger-side window. The man, described as being in his 40s to early 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives canvassed the commercial block, which includes auto body shops and service businesses across from the studio lot, and began collecting potential surveillance video while traffic was rerouted around the cordoned area.
Witness statements and early findings suggest the shooter approached the vehicle on foot, fired through the passenger side and ran from the area. Los Angeles police said they had not immediately identified a suspect or released a motive. A woman who identified herself as the victim’s girlfriend told reporters she had been on the phone with him moments before the attack and heard a brief exchange before the line went quiet. “We were about to hang up when I heard him say, ‘Hey, hey,’ and that was the last thing,” she said. Police said they are reviewing her account along with other tips given to patrol officers and detectives at the scene.
Lt. Sean Kinchla of the Los Angeles Police Department said the location—opposite the Sony Pictures lot and along a busy corridor—gave investigators hope that security cameras captured the shooter’s movements. He said shell casings and glass fragments indicated more than one shot was fired into the Honda SUV, which was properly parked between two vehicles when officers arrived. No weapon was recovered at the scene. The victim’s name is being withheld pending notification by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, and his exact age was not immediately confirmed.
Washington Boulevard remained restricted in the late morning as detectives measured distances, photographed the shattered passenger-side window and mapped the trajectory of the rounds. Employees from nearby auto shops waited behind the police line while tow trucks and delivery vans were redirected down side streets bordering Culver City. The Palms neighborhood, a dense residential and commercial area that sits just east of Venice and south of the I-10, has a mix of apartment buildings and small businesses. People who work along the block said the morning rush often brings employees to the shops by 8 a.m., and some noted that studio workers and visitors frequently use the corridor, especially near the Overland Avenue intersection.
Several workers on the block said they heard a series of sharp cracks, then saw people running. One mechanic said he initially thought a tool had fallen before a coworker yelled for everyone to move inside. Another employee said he saw a person in dark clothing sprint east on Washington, though he could not describe a face or other identifying features. Detectives urged patience as they collected video from storefronts and checked for city traffic cameras. Kinchla said compiling and reviewing footage from multiple angles can take hours, and it was too early to say whether the attacker arrived by vehicle or on foot from a nearby alley.
Police said the victim appeared to have arrived early for work at an auto body business on the block, where coworkers later gathered behind the yellow tape. A manager said the shop typically opens around 8 a.m. and that the man, a longtime employee, often parked along the curb before clocking in. The manager, who declined to provide his name, said he recognized the SUV from daily routines but learned of the shooting only when officers knocked on the office door. “He was a dependable guy,” the manager said. “This is shocking for all of us.” Investigators did not say whether the victim was targeted or attacked at random.
Detectives from the LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide unit are leading the case. The investigation will include a canvass for doorbell and business cameras, forensic processing of shell casings and glass, and interviews with family members and coworkers. The Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death and will release the victim’s identity after notifying next of kin. Police said no arrests had been made as of late afternoon and that additional details on any suspect description would be released when confirmed.
By midday, drivers detoured around temporary street closures while officers placed numbered evidence markers beside shards of glass on the asphalt. A small cluster of candles and flowers appeared near the curb as coworkers contacted relatives. Some residents paused on the sidewalk to watch investigators work beneath the Sony Pictures water tower across the street. “It’s heartbreaking,” said a passerby who gave only his first name, Carlos. “This is a busy area. People are just trying to get to work.”
The case remains open. Detectives plan to provide an update if they obtain usable video or develop suspect information. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is expected to release the victim’s name after family notifications. Traffic lanes on Washington Boulevard were expected to fully reopen after investigators completed their scene work Monday evening.
Author note: Last updated December 9, 2025.